The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) began its celebrations for Olympic Day with an event in Masal Park, Gaziantep for hundreds local children and Syrian refugees.
The event – which took place on 30 April and was coordinated by the TOC and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality – saw hundreds of local children, including 300 Syrian refugees, take part in a variety of learning activities designed to promote healthy lifestyles, environmental awareness and the Olympic Values. Children also learnt about nutrition, the environment, sport ethics and Olympic history.
At the end of the program participating children were awarded Olympic Day t-shirts and certificates signed by IOC President Thomas Bach and TOC President Professor Dr. Uğur Erdener, who said:
"Olympic Day is a major event on the Olympic calendar and is celebrated across the globe by more than four million people from 205 countries. Here in Turkey we have been celebrating Olympic Day since its inception as we believe it is a great way to promote sport to our countries’ youth and educate them on the Olympic Values of friendship, excellence and respect.
"Last month, with the help of the IOC Emergency Fund for Refugees, the TOC and Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality launched the Support Through Sport Project which aims to provide greater accessibility to sport for Syrian children refugees. Today we were able to incorporate the same children into our Olympic Day celebrations and it was great to see them playing and learning alongside locals as they continue to integrate well into their new community."
Following today’s successful event in Gaziantep, the TOC will continue its Olympic Day celebrations across Turkey with further events scheduled in Muğla on 15 May, Antalya on 17 May and Istanbul on 29 May.
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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