International Olympic Day: Theme, Campaign, and Significance of Paris Olympics 2024
International Olympic Day is celebrated every year on June 23 to commemorate the day the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin. The day was established in 1948 to celebrate sports and active lifestyles globally.
The International Olympic Day this year is a special one as it is followed by the Paris Olympics starting next month. Another special reason is that Paris was the birthplace of Coubertin.
“This year’s Olympic Day is a very special one, taking place just ahead of Paris 2024. The celebrations will set the tone for some exceptional Olympic Games in the City of Light this summer,” said IOC President Thomas Bach (via Olympics).
Every year, there's a campaign and theme associated with International Olympic Day, with this year's theme being "Let’s Move and Celebrate." It was decided with the aim to encourage people to come together and stay connected through sports and ignite a collective passion for the Paris Olympics 2024.
"On this very special Olympic Day, let us celebrate the joy that only sport can give us. Together with all of you, I look forward to the Olympic Games Paris 2024 for an unforgettable celebration of the joy of sport, for a celebration of our shared humanity, for a celebration of peace. Let’s move and celebrate!” continued Bach.
The Let’s Move and Celebrate campaign was launched last year in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote active lifestyles every day and to make sport feel more natural, inclusive, and fun.
“The very first Olympic Games with full gender parity” - IOC President Thomas Bach on Paris Olympics 2024
The Paris Olympics 2024 will be significant for many reasons, with one of them being full gender parity. For the first time in the history of the Olympics, there will be a 50:50 allocation of men and women athletes, meaning that there will be equal representation by both genders in Paris.
“The athletes, the fans, the entire Olympic community – all of us – are looking forward to Paris 2024: more inclusive, more urban, more sustainable. The very first Olympic Games with full gender parity. The very first Olympic Games aligned with the reforms of the Olympic Agenda from start to finish,” Bach said.