International Olympic Day: Sushil, Saina Nehwal share medal-winning memory

On the occasion of International Olympic Day, Sushil Kumar and Saina Nehwal on Tuesday shared their medal-winning memories at the showpiece event.

Wrestler Kumar said that his life changed with the Olympic medal in 2008, while history was created with another medal in 2012.

Kumar won a bronze medal in the 2008 Olympics, and a silver in the 2012 event.

"My life changed with the Olympic medal in 2008 and history was created by the second one in 2012. Working hard to change the colour of the medal once again. Need your blessings," Kumar tweeted.
 

Shuttler Saina Nehwal also said that the bronze medal-winning moment in 2012 was very special.

"Very very very special moment in my career when I achieved the Olympic bronze medal in 2012 Olympics.. #London. It was always my and my parent's dream from the day I joined badminton in 1999. Hard work, belief and some sacrifices made it possible," Nehwal tweeted.
 

Olympic Day is celebrated on June 23 every year since 1948 to commemorate the initiation of the modern Olympic Games.

On Monday, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Narinder Dhruv Batra urged the country's Olympic medalists and Olympians to lead the celebrations of Olympic Day on June 23, while expressing hope that India transits from a sports-watching nation to more of an active sports-participating nation.

Kiren Rijiju, the Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports has also been vocal for making India a sporting powerhouse. He has repeatedly emphasised the need to make India enter the top ten medal-winning countries by 2028 Olympics.

Tokyo Olympics were slated to be held in July-August this year, but the event has been postponed to next year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Inspire Institute of Sport celebrates Olympic Day with a powerful message

To commemorate the occasion of Olympic Day, the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) released a video bringing together athletes from across the institute's sporting disciplines to highlight the power of sport to unite and overcome obstacles.

As the sporting world moves towards the 'new normal', the video features star athletes like Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia (Wrestling), Neeraj Chopra, Arpinder Singh, Annu Rani and Tejaswin Shankar (Athletics), Manisha Moun and Vikas Krishan Yadav (Boxing) to showcase the resilience of athletes in the face of adversity and encourages the world to "keep plugging away" towards a better tomorrow.

Commenting on the occasion of Olympic Day, CEO of IIS, Rushdee Warley, said: "The driving force behind everything we do at IIS is to nurture and holistically develop athletes, allowing them to fulfill their potential and become effective contributing members of society."

International Olympic Day is celebrated to commemorate the day when the International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894.

The first-ever Olympic day was celebrated on June 23, 1948. The countries of Portugal, Greece, Austria, Canada, Switzerland, Great Britain, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Belgium organized an Olympic Day in their respective countries, relayed a message and urging young people of the world to participate and make sports an integral part of their lives.