Turkey; 22 June 2015: The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) celebrated the 28th edition of Olympic Day this year with a record participation of 4,000 children taking part in activities across Istanbul and Antalya.
With support from the TOC’s main sponsor Koç Holding for the second year, involvement from schools increased by 50% with 25% more children aged between 9 and 12 years’ old taking part in the celebrations. The activities, which took place over several weeks, were designed to educate Turkey’s young generation and promote a healthy lifestyle, environmental awareness, and the Olympic values. Children learned about nutrition, the environment, sport ethics and Olympic history as well as taking part in outdoor activities where they were encouraged to develop basic skills such as balance and coordination.
At the end of the programme the participating students were awarded certificates signed by IOC President Thomas Bach and TOC President Professor Dr. Uğur Erdener, who said:
"Olympic Day is celebrated in more than 205 countries with more than 4 million participants worldwide. Turkey has been participating in Olympic Day celebrations for 28 years as a way to encourage people to enjoy sport but also to promote the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect.
"This year’s celebrations have been a great success thanks to our sponsor, Koç Holding. I hope that, through Olympic Day celebrations, we can continue to spread the Olympic values throughout Turkey – reaching new records every year!"
Olympic Day is a global celebration of the Olympic Movement which seeks to promote fitness, well-being, culture and education through the three Olympic Day pillars – move, learn and discover.
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