23.06.2018
The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) have celebrated the 70th anniversary of Olympic Day with two events in Turkey.
The first event was held at Ataturk High School in Ankara on 19 April. The event saw 200 students take part in a wide range of sporting activities supported by TOC instructors.
The second event, held in conjunction with the German Olympic Sport Confederation (DOSB), took place on 3 May in Erikçe Park in the Turkish city of Gazientep.
The event saw 500 children, including 250 Syrian refugees, also take part in a wide range of sporting activities including sport climbing, basketball, archery, cycling, darts and bocce.
Amongst the instructors were Turkish national athletes who took part in activities and signed autographs for children. These athletes included the captain of Turkey’s women’s basketball team at London 2012 and Rio 2016 Nevriye Yılmaz, Turkey’s first ever modern pentathlon athlete to compete at an Olympic Games İlke Özyüksel, U23 world champion and bronze medallist in seniors’ world championships Fatih Cengiz, national karateka Eren Akkurt and national taekwondo athlete Sibel Güngör.
Olympic Day is an annual, global celebration that takes place on 23 June. Every year, it sees millions of people – of all ages and from all walks of life – get active and participate in sporting, educational and cultural activities, encouraging them to enjoy and benefit from sport.
To mark the 70th anniversary, this year’s Olympic Day theme is United By, which aims to highlight how sport has the power to unite regardless of age, gender, religion, nationality, ability, and works to build a unified celebration of Olympic Ideas and values.
In the spirit of global peace and unity, The Turkish Olympic Committee is joining Olympic athletes, leaders of sport and members of the general public of all ages and abilities across Turkey to celebrate Olympic Day.
Speaking on the TOC’s 2018 Olympic Day activities TOC Board Member Bilal Porsun said:
“The TOC is proud of its record of hosting Olympic Day events every year without fail. This year we were particularly pleased to witness the joy on the children’s faces, many of whom are Syrian refugees, during the event in Gaziantep“
The TOC is committed to running projects throughout Turkey which are aimed at promoting sports and the Olympic values amongst our youth.
“One of the TOC’s primary objectives is to use to sport to contribute to our youth’s physical and mental development. Olympic Day is an excellent tool for achieving this objective.”
Olympic Day is a global celebration of the Olympic Movement which seeks to promote fitness, well-being, culture and education through the three Olympic Day pillars – move, learn and discover. Globally, National Olympic Committees, International and National Sports Federations, Organising Committees of Olympic Games and Youth Olympic Games, National Olympian Associations and Young Ambassador’s around the world have been organising and participating in a myriad of Olympic Day activities to promote a healthy and active lifestyle, in the lead up to 23 June.
Sport has the power to unite through passion, teamwork, commitment, loss and victory. It unites by creating a shared well-being of body and mind. United By celebrates the power of Olympism to have a lasting positive impact on people’s well-being – physically, mentally and socially – every day. It shows the values of Olympism and the global community it creates, building lifelong relationships that foster mutual respect amongst all.
Continuing the Olympism theme in 2018, the IOC is launching its first Olympism in Action Forum (OiAF) in Buenos Aires, Argentina on 5 and 6 October 2018. The OiAF will bring together stakeholders across the Olympic Movement and society to open new dialogues, discuss global challenges, and share innovative experiences and inspiring stories to further mobilize sport to create a better world.
About the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit independent international organisation made up of volunteers, which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of 3.4 million US dollars goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.