Czech Olympic Day runs draw a record 75,000-plus participants
The Czech Olympic Committee is delighted that over 75,000 participants, including over 60,000 children, took part in the sold out Olympic Day races across the Czech Republic.
The T-Mobile Olympic Run, which is an annual set of races organised by the COV, took place on Wednesday 19 June. There were 81 races across all 14 regions of the country. This year, there were more runners involved than ever before, demonstrating the impact of the COV’s ongoing effort to encourage healthy living and an active lifestyle.
The annual set of races are held in celebration of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) Olympic Day, which is held each year on 23 June. Olympic Day is a global celebration of the founding of the IOC in 1894. Every year, it is a day dedicated to sports events of all types. The focus of Olympic Day is on the three pillars of move, learn and discover, with National Olympic Committees all over world encouraged to organise sports, cultural and educational activities for the grassroots community.
Since 1987, the COV has participated in the Olympic Day celebrations by organising running races for all age categories. Every year in June, tens of thousands of runners across the Czech Republic start to race at the same time. As well as being part of a nationwide effort to promote healthy living, participants also support the Czech Olympic Foundation, with part of their registration fee contributing to the Foundation’s effort to provide sporting opportunities for under-privileged children.
Speaking after the conclusion of the Olympic Day races, COV President Jiří Kejval said: “The excitement during this year’s Olympic Day races was really encouraging. The passion amongst participants is a sign that the Czech Olympic Committee’s promotion of living is resonating with people of all ages and of all sporting abilities. In line with the IOC’s three Olympic Day pillars ‘Move, Learn and Discover,’ we are trying to educate people in the Czech Republic that the benefits of sport reach far beyond physical fitness. Olympic Day is one of the key milestones where we can share this message with a national audience, so we are very pleased with the results.”
The Official ambassadors for this year’s Olympic Day races were kayaker Jiří Prskavec, who won a bronze medal at Rio 2016 and a bronze medal at the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games, as well as biathlete Markéta Davidová. At many of the races, participants had the opportunity to meet Olympians, who are either taking part in the race or during an autograph session afterwards.
For past three years the Olympic Day run has been awarded the best running event of the year by the Czech Athletics Federation.
