International Olympic Day 2022: International Olympic Day is observed annually on June 23 across the globe to celebrate sport, health and being and together.

Key Points:

• The main reason for celebrating this day is also to commemorate the beginning of the modern Olympic Games.
• The day marks the foundation of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Theme:

• The theme for 2022 International Olympic Day is “Together For A Peaceful World.”
• The theme represents the ability of sports to unite people from all over the world and minimize the differences.

Significance:

• The vision behind this day is to inspire individuals to take part in various Olympic sports regardless of their age, sex, race, gender, or other characteristics.
• It focuses and highlights the three values of Olympics – Excellence, Respect, and Friendship – and guides people to imbibe these values in their everyday lives.

History:

• The idea of celebrating a World Olympic Day was introduced in 1947, by Doctor Gruss, who was a Czech IOC member.
• The proposal of celebrating an Olympic Day was adopted in 1948 at the 42nd International Olympic Committee (IOC) Session in St Moritz.
• The day was decided as June 23 to commemorate the founding of the International Olympic Committee at Sorbonne, Paris in 1894 where Pierre de Coubertin revived the Olympic Games.
• The inaugural Olympic day was observed on 23 June 1948 in several countries such as Greece, Canada, Austria, Portugal, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Belgium.

About IOC:

• International Olympic Committee (IOC) is a non-governmental sports organization.
• It was established on 23 June 1894.
• It was founded by Pierre de Coubertin and Demetrios Vikelas.
• It is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
• It is responsible to organize the modern Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
• The current President of IOC is Thomas Bach.

Motto of IOC:

• The Olympic motto is made up of three Latin words: CITIUS – ALTIUS – FORTIUS (Faster, Higher, Stronger) adopted in 1894.