International Olympic Day
Olympic Day was introduced in 1948 on 23 June 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris. The goal was to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability. The idea of a special holiday dedicated to the Olympic movement, which could raise public awareness of the main Olympic principles, was first voiced at the 41st session of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in Stockholm in 1947. A year later, the IOC officially approved this project in at the 42nd session in St Moritz. The first Olympic Games took place in Greece in 1896 when 241 athletes from 14 countries competed for medals in 9 sports. A hundred years later, in 2004, Greece welcomed over 15 thousand athletes from 202 countries who competed in 28 sports.