Valladolid will be the Spanish city that will host Olympic Day

Description

Spain is one of the 160 countries that will commemorate Olympic Day and Valladolid is the city of our country chosen by the COE to celebrate this sports festival. The day will take place on June 3 in the city with a team of athletes of international projection and with a great diversity of sports disciplines that are part of the competition that the International Olympic Committee organizes every four years: rhythmic gymnastics, karate, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, fencing, badminton, synchronized swimming, lifesaving, canoeing, mountaineering and climbing, handball, rugby, archery, paddle tennis, tennis and skating.

The event was announced by the president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, Alejandro Blanco, at a press conference held at the Valladolid City Hall with the mayor, Óscar Puente, and the Councilor for Citizen Participation and Sports, Alberto Bustos. Also in attendance were the Spanish ambassador to Unesco, José Manuel Rodríguez Uribes; the general secretary of the FEMP, Carlos Daniel Casares; and the presidents and managers of the sports federations that will participate in the event.

What is Olympic Day? It is a worldwide commemoration that has been taking place every year since 1948, when its first edition took place to commemorate the creation of the Modern Olympic Movement, which happened in 1894.

Olympic Day commemorates the birth of the Modern Olympic Games and promotes Olympic ideals such as fair play, perseverance, camaraderie, respect and sportsmanship, while encouraging people around the world to engage in physical activity, regardless of age or athletic ability.

“This global event is now more important than ever as sport has to compete with so many other interests, especially when it comes to young people. We need to get them to put down their computers and mobile devices to get involved in some physical activity. We must ensure that sport and physical activity are part of their daily lives. We must ensure that those who lead a sedentary life become active.” This is the reflection of the President of the IOC, Thomas Bach, on the occasion of this event of international dimension.

The sports event, in Huerta del Rey

In our country, Olympic Day 2023 will take place on June 3 in Valladolid, specifically at the Huerta del Rey sports center. Thus, under the motto “Move, learn, discover”, a good number of sports activities will be carried out in our city aimed at all those lovers of sport and physical activity who want to meet up to live together and share a unique day around sports practice.

The Valladolid City Council, which collaborates with the Spanish Olympic Committee in this initiative, invites citizens to participate in this great sports festival in which young people and adults will be able to exercise in different disciplines that will be organized by clubs and sports schools in the city . Rhythmic gymnastics, karate, judo, table tennis, taekwondo, fencing, badminton, synchronized swimming, rescue and first aid, mountaineering and climbing, handball, rugby, archery, paddle tennis, tennis and skating will have a place on Olympic Day.

All the activities will be free and advice will be available from the staff of the entities that organize them.

The day will begin at 11 in the morning with the opening ceremony, the athletes’ parade, the hoisting of the Olympic flag, the Olympic anthem and the Olympic torch relay.

Elite athletes in Valladolid

In addition, there will be the presence of prominent Olympic athletes who will participate in the events that will take place throughout the day. Indeed, champions will be in Valladolid on Olympic Day such as canoeist David Cal, weightlifter Lydia Valentín, gymnast Ray Zapata and gymnasts Carolina Pascual, Sandra Aguilar and Elena López, karateka Sandra Sánchez, judoka David Alarza, and snowboarder Regino Hernandez. And, of course, there will also be representation from Valladolid, with our Olympic medalist in synchronized swimming Laura López, world inline hockey champion Ana Sierra and European handball champion Óscar Perales.

They will meet with all of them on Olympic Day, which will be held thanks to the agreement signed by Alejandro Blanco, as president of the Spanish Olympic Committee, and Alberto Bustos, on behalf of the Municipal Sports Foundation.

Alejandro Blanco explained Valladolid’s contribution to the world event: “Olympic Day will bring us closer to the spirit that is lived in thousands of countries due to the Olympic Games, through activities in which we can share and enjoy beautiful experiences practicing sports” .

Valladolid is a sport-friendly city that hosts numerous events of the most varied disciplines throughout the year. They will be joined by Olympic Day, which, I am fully convinced, will be a resounding success and will have the massive presence of Valladolid men and women eager to practice sport and be close to their idols.