International Day of Sport for Development and Peace: A round up of activities from the International Olympic Committee

This year’s International Day of Sport for Development and Peace was like no other. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the usual flurry of sports tournaments and events was not possible, with the sport and development community having to adapt to move their celebrations online.

The Olympic Games have been part of the story of the pandemic, with this year’s planned Tokyo 2020 postponed to 2021. The International Olympic Committee used 6 April to highlight the need for people to stay active at home and the role of sport in bringing people together.

Social media campaign: #BeActive, #StayStrong, #StayHealthy and #StayActive

In recent weeks, Olympic athletes have shared tips on how to stay fit and healthy through the IOC’s social media channels. On 6 April, this campaign was extended to the whole Olympic Movement and the general public, who the IOC are inviting to #StayStrong by showing the benefits of maintaining physical activity while respecting measures to contain COVID-19.

IOC President Thomas Bach posted a video call for action in support of the campaign. Through its campaign, the IOC is also joining the #BeActive campaign launched by the United Nations. The day after IDSDP, 7 April, was World Health Day. Bach published another video reiterating the messages of the campaign and paying tribute to healthcare staff and others working to address COVID-19.

As part of the campaign, the Refugee Olympic Team Facebook and Twitter accounts posted quotes and photos from refugee athlete scholarship holders. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) also posted a video clip on refugee athlete scholarship holders training in Kenya through its UNHCR Kenya and UNHCR global social media handles.

Online articles

The International Olympic Committee also published several articles for 6 April:

• Farid Walizadeh: With every darkness there’s a light: Farid Walizadeh, a boxer hoping to make the Refugee Olympic Team at the rescheduled Olympic Games in 2021, wrote about resilience and hope in the face of uncertainty
• Young Colombian Sánchez Díaz using hockey to promote peace and inclusion: The story of a former Youth Olympic Games Young Abmassador’s work in his community
• IOC young leader changing the world through education and basketball: This article follows the story of Paulina Fritz, whose initiative Basketacademy combines culture, sport and education to contribute to a more socially developed and peaceful world

Visit the International Olympic Committee's International Day of Sport for Development and Peace page.