Today, Olympic Day 2025 is bringing communities worldwide together to celebrate the spirit of movement and connection. This year’s global celebration, held annually on June 23rd to commemorate the founding of the modern Olympic Games in 1894, centred around the International Olympic Committee’s “Let’s Move?” initiative – a powerful campaign encouraging people everywhere to be active together while building community bonds.
Table tennis, with its accessibility and inherently social nature, exemplifies the campaign’s core message perfectly. Whether playing doubles with a partner, joining a local club, or simply having a rally with friends and family, the sport naturally brings people together and creates lasting connections through shared activity.
With over 150 National Olympic Committees, International Sports Federations, and Olympic Games Organizing Committees participating worldwide, the celebrations demonstrates sport’s universal power to unite people across cultures and continents.
The “Let’s Move?” campaign, launched by the IOC in collaboration with the World Health Organisation, addresses concerning global statistics: one in three adults and 81 per cent of young people worldwide don’t meet minimum activity levels for optimal health. The initiative’s 2025 theme encourages everyone to invite a “+1” – a friend, family member, or teammate – to join them in physical activities.
“Sport is joy, sport brings people together,” said IOC President Thomas Bach. “We invite people everywhere to experience the joy of sport, and to take a friend along to play sport on Olympic Day and inspire beyond.”
Olympic Day celebrations have extended across multiple continents with diverse activities ranging from hiking and cycling to team sports like football, basketball, and table tennis. In China alone, 12 cities participated including Beijing, Shenzhen, Nanjing, and Ningbo. India made 50 sports venues available for pairs to book free of charge, whilst various digital challenges engaged participants globally through social media platforms.
In China, Olympic Day celebrations showcased this community spirit perfectly. Among the highlights was an appearance by Ma Long, China’s most decorated Olympic table tennis player with six gold medals, at Beijing’s celebrations. The 36-year-old champion joined 500 participants in activities around the iconic “Bird’s Nest” National Stadium, emphasising the lifelong benefits of physical activity. “Physical exercise is relevant to health. I can feel the public’s enthusiasm for sports,” Ma Long said. “Exercise is a lifelong hobby. I hope people can find the sports they love and practise in a healthy and scientific way.” His participation demonstrated how Olympic table tennis champions continue inspiring communities long after their competitive achievements.
The table tennis community’s involvement in Olympic Day reflects the sport’s unique ability to bring generations together. From school programmes to community centres, table tennis offers an accessible entry point for the “Let’s Move?” philosophy – requiring minimal equipment while delivering maximum social connection and physical benefit.
The “Let’s Move?” initiative extends beyond a single day, aiming to create lasting change in how communities approach physical activity. With the support of Olympic champions like Ma Long, the movement seeks to reduce physical inactivity by 15 per cent in adults and adolescents by 2030.
Olympic Day, celebrated annually on June 23rd, commemorates the founding of the modern Olympic Games in 1894. This year’s celebrations prove that the Olympic spirit – of striving together, supporting one another, and finding joy in movement – remains as powerful as ever.
Join the movement at Olympics.com and follow @Olympics #LetsMove
