Ahead of Olympic Day this Sunday, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach has highlighted the importance of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 in inspiring the world to move. Four weeks before the Opening Ceremony, the IOC President invited the world to join the IOC’s “Let’s Move” campaign.

“Athletes from all corners of the world and backgrounds are getting ready to participate in the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The athletes will inspire and encourage people everywhere to bring more movement to their lives, making it healthier, better and more joyful. We are very thankful that we could partner up with the World Health Organization again for this very important campaign,” the IOC President said.

He continued: “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. 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 Olympic Agenda from start to finish.”

Olympic Day, established in 1948, is the global celebration of sport and getting active that takes place on 23 June each year to commemorate the day the IOC was founded in 1894 by Pierre de Coubertin. With Paris 2024 taking place in Coubertin’s birthplace, this summer is a special opportunity to demonstrate, once again, the power of the Olympic Games to unite the world in peaceful competition.

“The Olympic Games always build bridges, never erect walls. They unite people in peace and solidarity. This is the beauty of sport: it inspires us to move, it brings out the best in us, it keeps us healthy, and it brings us all together – as friends and as a community, wherever we are and whichever way we choose to move,” President Bach underlined.

Let’s Move towards Paris

This year’s Olympic Day theme, Let’s Move and Celebrate, aims to ignite a collective passion for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 by encouraging people to get active and feel connected through sport.

“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!”

Launched in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) on Olympic Day 2023, Let’s Move is an ongoing initiative spearheaded by the IOC that invites everyone to make time for movement every day. Last year, it led more than 15 million people to embrace the joy of incorporating 30 minutes of daily physical activity into their lives.

With people more likely to maintain consistent exercise routines when activities are enjoyable and accessible, and research by WHO finding that 81 per cent of adolescents are not active enough for their health, Let’s Move and Celebrate aims to make sport feel more natural, inclusive and fun.

Along with the activities organised by National Olympic Committees (NOCs) around the world to commemorate Olympic Day 2024, the IOC is bringing sport and social media together to create a different experience. As part of Let’s Move and Celebrate, everyone is encouraged to show their support for athletes at the Games by creating, or recreating, their own iconic celebration moves, and to share these online with @Olympics and #LetsMove.

Global celebration of the modern Games

NOCs in all corners of the world, together with Olympic hosts and the wider Olympic Movement, will hold mass participation events and digital activations, providing an opportunity for everyone to move together. They will be joined by Olympians, including those getting ready to compete at Paris 2024.

In Lausanne, there will be the traditional Olympic Day run in the Olympic Capital, while in Budapest, unique activations such as Let’s Move fan booths and 30 minutes of sports activity will take place during the Olympic Qualifier Series (19 to 23 June).

Iconic landmarks across the world will also be lit up in the Olympic colours on 23 June to celebrate together.