Daily Times

LAHORE: The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) is celebrating Olympic Day 2018 here on Saturday (today). In this connection, the POA, in collaboration with karate, basketball, table tennis, handball, volleyball and wrestling national federations, will be organising different events at WAPDA Sports Complex including the Olympic Day Run.

The POA on Friday announced the theme for the Olympic Day 2018 — ‘Plant Preserve Plant’ –as part of celebrations. POA President Lt-Gen (r) Syed Arif Hasan said that he was leading the Olympic Movement of Pakistan for the cause of environment sustainability for which he had advised the Olympic Family to make any workable ideas permanent feature of their promotional plans. “We want to create a conducive, healthy and pollution-free environment not only for athletes but to further the campaign to attain a pollution-free Pakistan. So we can contribute for the crucial cause of environmental sustainability to build and preserve a green future for Pakistan’s children,” he added.

The Olympic Day was introduced in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on 23 June 1894 at the Sorbonne in Paris. The goal was to promote participation in sport across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability. Over the last 20 years, the Olympic Day has been associated with the Olympic Day Runs all over the world. From 45 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in the first edition in 1987, today the large majority of the 205 NOCs is joining in. Shaukat Javed, Provincial Minister, Home Department, Sports and Public Prosecution, who is also the Vice President of the POA and Chairman of the Pakistan Federation Baseball, will the chief guest at the occasion.

Published in Daily Times, June 30^th 2018.