The Turkish Olympic Committee (TOC) visited the north-western city of Eskişehir this weekend to complete its 2016 programme of Olympic Day activities which has seen the Committee engage with a record-breaking 10,000 children across Turkey.
The TOC, with the support of main sponsor Koç Holding for a third year running, expanded this year’s activities to four cities, more than doubling participation from 4,000 to 10,000 children as part of its ongoing commitment to promote sport and Olympism around the country.
The activities, which took place from 15 May to 4 June in the cities of İstanbul, Mersin, Gaziantep and Eskişehir, are designed to promote healthy lifestyles, environmental awareness, and the Olympic values amongst Turkey’s young generation. Children learned about nutrition, the environment, sport ethics and Olympic history and also took part in a wide range of outdoor activities including an eleven-team Dragon Race on the Porsuk River in Eskişehir.
At the end of the programme participants were awarded certificates signed by IOC President Thomas Bach and TOC President Professor Dr. Uğur Erdener, who said:
"Every year for the past 29 years the IOC, Turkey and more than 4 million people worldwide have been celebrating Olympic Day. As we all gear up for what will surely be a magical Olympic Games, the TOC wants to encourage people to support our athletes in Rio but also to take part in sporting activities themselves. It is our mission to promote physical wellbeing amongst our young population and educate them on the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect.
"Thanks to support from our sponsor Koç Holding, we were able to double the number of cities we visited reaching more children across Turkey than ever before. We will continue to expand our activities year on year and promote the vital role sport plays in the development of our society".
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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