In a rousing nationwide celebration of Olympic Day, more than 100,000 schoolchildren laced up their trainers and took to playgrounds, fields and footpaths in a mass show of sporting spirit – not just in name, but in motion.
Held annually on June 23, Olympic Day isn’t just a date on the calendar; it’s a global rallying cry for movement, friendship, and good old-fashioned sweat.
This year, the Team GB Foundation joined forces with The Daily Mile Foundation and junior parkrun to launch the UK’s biggest ever youth-led fitness celebration. The result? A tidal wave of kids running, wheeling, and walking their way into the Olympic ethos.
At the heart of the action were 439 schools spread across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. In classrooms-turned-running-tracks and playgrounds-turned-parkruns, children moved for 15 joyful minutes as part of The Daily Mile initiative—an effort designed to integrate activity into the daily rhythm of school life.
And they weren’t alone.
Three-time Olympic and World Champion Max Whitlock, newly appointed as the Team GB Foundation’s first ambassador, turned up in Manchester to lead the charge. He was joined by fellow Olympian and local hero Abigail Irozuru, now Vice Chair of Team GB’s Athletes’ Commission. Together, they jogged with pupils, traded stories, and proved that elite athleticism begins with the same simple step: showing up.
“Seeing how much energy and excitement the children put into celebrating Olympic Day today was a brilliant reminder of how important it is to just move and have fun,” said Whitlock.
“You don’t have to be an athlete to feel the benefits of being active—we want to help kids across the country build great habits for life and show them how getting moving can help make them healthier and happier.”
It wasn’t just schools feeling the buzz. On Sunday 22nd June, Olympic Day-themed junior parkruns rolled out across the UK for the second year running.
Some lucky youngsters got surprise visits from Olympic stars, including modern pentathlon gold medallist Kate French in Kent and Paris 2024 bronze-winning boxer Lewis Richardson in Colchester. For the wide-eyed runners at those events, inspiration didn’t just arrive—it raced alongside them.
Jen Rouse, Managing Director of the Team GB Foundation, summed it up with measured pride. “Olympic Day is such a powerful reminder of what sport can do: it builds confidence, resilience, and a real sense of belonging,” she said.
“At the Team GB Foundation we harness the power of the Olympic Games, the Olympic Movement and the Olympic Values to support the health and wellbeing of young people across the UK, and teaming up with both The Daily Mile and junior parkrun has been a brilliant way for us to help even more children feel inspired to get active and build a lifelong connection to sport.”
The real win here isn’t about podiums or medals—it’s about momentum. Gordon Banks, Global Director of The Daily Mile, knows this better than anyone.
“It’s a joy to see so many children across the UK getting active together on Olympic Day through The Daily Mile,” Banks said. “Our mission is simple: to help every child enjoy the benefits of regular physical activity, no matter their background, ability or fitness level.
Events like this highlight how something as small as 15 minutes of daily movement can have a transformational impact on children’s wellbeing and classroom experience.”
At a time when childhood inactivity is a mounting concern, this collaboration showed that turning the tide doesn’t require a revolution—just a good pair of trainers and a willingness to move.
And maybe, if you’re lucky, Max Whitlock is trotting beside you.
