Olympic Day Lets Move campaign 2023
In conjunction with the International Olympic Committee and ExxonMobil PNG, the Olympic Week celebrations in the lead up to Olympic Day today (June 23rd) was celebrated with a myriad of sports activities centered around the ‘Let’s Move’ theme which also included Goroka and Kavieng joining in the celebrations.
The celebrations ended today with a 30-minute workout with Papua New Guiea Olympians, Team PNG athletes and officials and Board members and staff of the PNG Olympic Committee. The 2023 Olympic Day theme is “Let’s Move” which saw members of the public at Ela Beach also join in the global ‘Let’s Move’ campaign for better health.
The initiative is supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO) through its partnership with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that combines the power of the Olympics and the WHO’s advice on physical activity to help inspire and motivate people to move for better health.
Since Papua New Guinea joined the Olympic Movement in 1974, we have been part of the Olympic Day celebrations. This important event in the Olympic Movement calendar has been celebrated worldwide since June 23rd 1948. It is celebrated to commemorate the establishment of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) at the Sorbonne, Paris in 1894 where Pierre de Coubertin, the founder of the modern Olympic Games rallied for the revival of the Olympic Games. It celebrates sport, health, togetherness, and help spread the Olympic ideals.
Olympic Day is providing a platform to inspire people to get active and move more for better health. With the belief that sport can help make a better world – irrespective of whether you are a city, a school, an organization or an individual, we all have the power to inspire people through movement.
In alignment with the Olympic Day theme for 2023 and one of the organisation’s motto, the Papua New Guinea Olympic Committee and Team PNG has embarked to inspire people through movement. Celebrations in country started off the Let’s Move! Campaign in the Highlands region in Eastern Highlands together with the staff of the Papua New Guinea Sports Foundation arm in the province, the National Sports Institute and the junior-level students of Jolly Bee Day Care Center. Celebrated activities then moved to the Islands region with activities in Kavieng, New Ireland Province.
The activities involved senior and junior basketballers of the Kavieng Amateur Basketball Association, including children, youth and adults that joined a beach clean-up, education and awareness on the Olympic Values, a fun game of Basketball and a Basketball Referees Rules refresher session which was led by Team PNG HERO and Basketball PNG’s Hoops for Health Coach Jordan Sere.
In Port Moresby, the Olympic Day celebrations continued early this week at the University of Papua New Guinea, where the Unity Games were held. Activities included information on the Let’s Move campaign, Olympic Values Education Program and Fun Games. Let’s Move! this week
