British High Commission to support 2011 Olympic Day run on 2 July

The National Olympic Committee of Zambia (NOCZ), with the support of the British High Commission and British Council, is hosting an Olympic Day Run today, Saturday 2nd July to mark the annual Olympic Day celebrations.

More than 500 pupils from various schools and members of the public will take part in a wide range of activities at the Olympic Youth Development Centre (OYDC) in Lusaka to mark the celebration of the anniversary of the International Olympic Committee created on 23 June 1894, which is the Olympic Day.

Speaking in Lusaka today, British High Commissioner Carolyn Davidson said:
"Olympic Day is a unique, global event held every year. The purpose of the Olympic Day is to get as many people as possible across the globe moving and experiencing the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. Taking part in this event can also be rewarding because it provides young people with an opportunity to experience new and exciting sports, to see the benefits of a more active lifestyle and to motivate and encourage each other in a positive way.”

Ms Davidson said the British High Commission was pleased to be associated with the Olympic Day Run as part of the UK’s Government vision to see millions more young people participating in sport, and improving their lives as a result of that participation.

The High Commissioner went on to say that when London won the bid in Singapore on 6 July 2005 to stage the London 2012 Games, the UK pledged that children and young people around the world would be helped to participate and excel in sport.

She said that Zambia was chosen as the first country in Africa to implement the International Inspiration programme aimed at enriching the lives of young people in the long term. She said tomorrow’s event will provide an opportunity for children to showcase the power of sport.

Ms Davidson said the UK’s Government’s commitment to promote sport in Zambia was also demonstrated when the British High Commission and the British Council hosted a major sporting event for school children on 19 March this year to mark the 500 days countdown to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Since 1948, Olympic Day has served to celebrate the anniversary of the International Olympic Committee, created on 23 June 1894, and the revival of the Olympic Games.

In 1987, the Olympic Day Run was introduced to build a programme of sporting and educational actions around this anniversary, with the objective of getting as many people as possible across the globe moving and experiencing the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect. The number of participating countries has grown from only nine in 1948 to 205 member countries of the Olympic Movement.

15 March 2011 marked the 500 days to The London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London. The Games will take place from 27 July – 12 August 2012 in London. London was awarded the privilege of staging the 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games in 2005 in Singapore.

The British High Commission and the British Council marked the 500 days to the London 2012 Games, at the Olympic Youth Development Centre, on Saturday 19 March 2011from 08:00 to 17:00 hours. About 500 pupils from various schools in Lusaka took part in the following sports: Football, Volleyball, Basketball, Athletics and Judo. Disciplines of Wheelchair Basketball and Paralympic Athletics were also included.

The International Inspiration programme was designed to give 12 million children in 20 countries access to high quality and inclusive physical education, sport and play. The programme has already reached more than 7 million children globally and over 300 schools in the UK have built partnerships with counterparts around the world.

UK Sport, the British Government’s lead body for international sport, alongside partners such as the British Council and British High Commission worked closely with the Ministry of Sport, Youth and Child development, the National Sports Council of Zambia, the National Olympic Committee of Zambia and individual sports bodies throughout Zambia to implement the International Inspiration programme.