By Uche Udeh
In celebration of the ideals of the Olympics, the Nigeria Olympic Committee (NOC)  and the Nigeria Sport For All Commission have said that the 2013 Olympic Day celebration will hold on  Saturday, June 29 in all states of the federation. The celebration will also be replicated globally on the same day.

Disclosing this yesterday, the Public Relations Officer of the NOC, Tony Ubani, said the Olympic Day “is a chance for people of all ages and all abilities to experience some of the magic of the Olympic Games in their own communities. Last year, more than four million people took advantage of the opportunity to participate in the annual Olympic Day celebration, which takes place around the world”, said Ubani.

While encouraging all states in the country to mark the day with a a run, the NOC  Image Maker, said that 12 States, comprising, Akwa Ibom, Edo, Bayelsa, Plateau, Oyo, Abuja, Osun, Ogun and Ondo, Lagos, Anambra and Ekiti have already indicated their interest to organise the event, which he noted “was an ideal platform to highlight the benefit of physical activity, which allows people to learn about Olympic values and to put them into practice in their everyday life.

“Engaging in exercises promotes health fitness for an individual. Jogging and walking burns calories, tones muscles, shapes your body and helps reduce the stress on the mind”.

And in order to allow people of all age groups to participate in the celebration, the NOC said that host states are expected to break down the marathon in stages of 3km, 6km and 10km to accommodate all, adding that the Olympic Day event is not a competition to win prizes but to serve as a reminder that exercise holds a lot of promise in helping mankind to stay healthy, through sports as a way of life.

The organisers appealed to corporate bodies to identify with the Olympic Day celebration, by sponsoring  the event through the donation of T-shirts  and necessary logistics.