“Taking part in such an event was rather uplifting,” said Urmas Sõõrumaa, who also put himself to the test in other sports during the Olympic day.
“Participating in the Olympic Day is a unique experience: people of all ages have come together to enjoy fitness activities. I am very glad to have seen a great number of eager kids trying a variety of sports with the help of current top athletes,” Sõõrumaa said.
Hundreds of children interested in sports took part in the Olympic Day held in Tartu as a part of TV 10 Olympic Start 49th season finals and enjoyed both the sunny weather and a variety of sports. The idea of the Olympic Day is that fitness activities should be enjoyed.
The visitors in Tartu could try a number of sports today: athletics, handball, football, ski jumping, BMX racing, shooting, biathlon, sumo, taekwondo, and karate. In the section of the Paralympic Committee, athletes showed how football for the blind, wheelchair racing and tandem running looked like.
In the section of the NOC and the Estonian Sports and Olympic Museum, there was an exhibition of Estonian Olympic athletes’ souvenirs as well as reaction speed and exactitude tests. There was also a display of the medals and souvenirs of the Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. In the section of the national broadcasting network ERR, TV journalist Anu Välba explained how the world of television worked behind the scenes.
The children’s’ competition held by Tartu Kalev for 5–10-year-olds culminated with the 60-metre sprint final event. Of a hundred participants, the girls’ top result was shown by Ivona Jakobson, and Richard Puiestee was the winner among the boys.
Olympic Day is nowadays developing into much more than a run or just a sports event. Based on the three pillars “move”, “learn” and “discover”, National Olympic Committees are deploying sports, cultural and educational activities which address everybody - regardless age, gender, social background or sporting ability. The Olympic Day is meant to celebrate the beginning of the contemporary Olympic movement in 1894, when Pierre de Coubertin proposal to revive the tradition of the Olympic Games was unanimously approved in Sorbonne, Paris, and the International Olympic Committee was established.
Photos: Argo Ingver / NOC