The Trinidad and Tobago Olympic Committee(TTOC) will celebrate World Olympic Day with the now traditional Olympic Day relay run on Saturday 20th June at the King George V Park .The Tobago leg will take place on Saturday 27th June in Scarborough,Tobago.
In recent years the run has been expanded to include cycling and wheelchair events.
This year, the theme of Olympic Day will be “Move, Learn and Discover”. The National Olympic Committees(NOCs) are going to structure their activities around these three themes:
Move: Through sporting activities, the participants, young or not so young, will feel better (or will be in better shape).
Learn: Sessions with athletes will allow the public to share in their experiences, and learn and put into practice the Olympic values in their everyday life.
Discover: Athletes or volunteers will be able to help the public to discover and practice their sports together.
Registration for Olympic Day events can be done on line by visiting www.ttoc.org
Editors note:The IOC was formally established on 23 June 1894
In January 1948 at its 42nd Session in St Moritz, Switzerland, the IOC approved the idea of an Olympic Day. This celebration would be used to commemorate the creation of the IOC on 23 June 1894 in Paris.
Olympic Day was held for the first time on 23 June 1948, with a total of nine NOCs hosting ceremonies in their respective countries: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela.
In an effort to encourage all NOCs to commemorate and celebrate Olympic Day, in 1987 the IOC Sport for All Commission launched the Olympic Day Run concept with the objective of promoting the practice of participation in sport by men, women and children from all corners of the world, regardless of athletic ability. From 45 NOCs taking part in the first edition, today over 150 NOCs worldwide participate.
In 2009, the IOC decided to consolidate and perpetuate this success by making Olympic Day Run into a worldwide event henceforth known as “Olympic Day”.
The IOC is therefore returning to its roots thanks to Olympic Day, and hopes to encourage the various sporting, cultural and educational initiatives launched by the NOCs which go beyond the Run itself. Indeed, over the years, the NOCs developed this event by inviting participants of all ages and walks of life to practise physical activity, try out new sports with athletes and volunteers, and discover, understand and put into practice the Olympic values.
Many NOCs also take into account their specific local features and social environment to celebrate this event country-wide. Some have incorporated the event into the school curriculum while others also organise cultural exhibitions and various activities centred on the Olympic values.
Olympic Day, launched on 23 June by the IOC and organised locally by the NOCs, has now become the only annual worldwide event of the Olympic Movement. It thus contributes to disseminating the values and fundamental principles of Olympism across the world.
