Olympic Day: Your Time to Feel Like a Champion

A day that calls for athletic events and Olympic values

By TARA GRIMES

Updated 3:58 PM CST, Tue, Jul 21, 2009

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With less than four months until the final vote, the efforts to support Chicago’s bid to host the Olympics in 2016 are far from over.

All across America, cities are gearing up for celebrations on Olympic Day, June 23. Communities are encouraged to get out and have fun in physical activities that promote the values of the Olympics: fair play, cooperation and respect for others.

“Olympic Day celebrates the values and ideals of the Olympic Movement and the impact sport can have on everyone, particularly youth,” Patrick G. Ryan, chairman and CEO of Chicago 2016 said. “Under Mayor Daley’s leadership, mayors from across the country are introducing youth to these values and promoting the positive benefits of sport. We believe the lessons learned on Olympic Day will be carried forward by everyone in their daily lives.”

Nearly 150 cities nationwide will host Olympic Day celebrations, partaking in activities such as fun runs, lectures, sport competitions and demonstrations.

Chicagoans looking to feel as if they are in the real Olympics, fit or not, can enjoy a fun run at 6 p.m. that will end at North Avenue Beach. There, other Olympic and Paralympic sports will be scattered about including beach volleyball, table tennis, hand cycling, wheelchair basketball and badminton.

Olympic and Paralympic athletes are expected to join in on the celebration.

“The U.S. Conference of Mayors has the ability and reach to promote Olympic Day to youth in cities across our nation,” Daley said. “They have also pledged to help to instill the values represented by the Olympic Movement in our nation’s young people for generations to come.”

Olympic Day was first carried out on June 23, 1948 in Austria, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, Greece, Portugal, Switzerland, Uruguay and Venezuela. From there, it expanded to all parts of the world. This year’s theme of Olympic Day is “Move, Learn and Discover.”

“The U.S. Olympic Committee’s partner organizations and Olympians and Paralympians across the U.S. are actively participating to mark this celebration of the Olympic Movement,” Stephanie Streeter, Acting CEO of the USOC said. “The USOC stands with Chicago to deliver unprecedented participation across the United States to celebrate Olympic Day, reflecting the country’s passion to bring the Games to Chicago in 2016.”