Kids' Athletics Day
From New Zealand to Ecuador, thousands of people across the globe are today (7 May) celebrating Kids’ Athletics Day – a global day dedicated to celebrating children and young people being active by participating in athletics.
In Latvia, home of this year’s World Athletics Road Running Championships, an ‘Olympic Kids’ Day’ initiative involved around 8000 children participating in running events in the streets of the capital city, Riga. Events included 60m, 200m and 400m races for children, and a happy babies course to ensure that even the youngest of future athletes could take part. Organisers enlisted the help of Olympian Gunta Basko, who inspired the young athletes as she cheered them on from the start line.
Olympic Kids' Day in Riga
In Japan, children took on a ‘Kids' Decathlon Challenge’ in Osaka during the Michitaka Kinami Memorial Meet – a World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event. Further Kids’ Athletics initiatives are scheduled, including another similar event on 21 May in conjunction with the Seiko Golden Grand Prix, a Continental Tour Gold meeting in Yokohama. This event will include running (10m), jumping and throwing activities, and more than 200 kids are expected to take part.
Kids' Athletics Day at the Michitaka Kinami Memorial Meet
Athletics Australia and its member associations joined in the fun, with events kicking off in Tasmania and in South Australia where they held 2km and 4km events for all age groups.
Kids' Athletics Day activity in Australia
New Zealand celebrated Kids’ Athletics Day with an U12 mile race, held as part of a weekend of running events alongside the Rotorua Marathon.
Children's races formed part of the Rotorua Marathon
In the USA, sprinters Noah and Josephus Lyles participated in a youth event in Atlanta while in town for the Atlanta City Games. The brothers took part in a range of activities and spoke with participants about the importance of playing and being active, for kids’ development and wellbeing.
Josephus and Noah Lyles inspire the next generation in Atlanta (© Atlanta Track Club)
In Ecuador, during the first of a series of events planned over the next few weeks, 70 children participated in an event in Guayaquil, which was delivered in partnership with the Sports for all Commission of the Ecuadorian Olympic Committee.
Kids' Athletics Day in Guayaquil
In Algeria, 200 children took part in a Kids’ Athletics Team competition in the eastern region of Tebessa.
Kids' Athletics Day in Tebessa
Get involved at home and on social media
Last month, World Athletics released a ‘Kids’ Athletics Day at home’ toolkit for children around the world who wish to take part in Kids’ Athletics Day 2023 but who may not have access to an organised Kids’ Athletics Day activity. It provides all the basics to get moving including:
- Activity cards with instructions on how to stage an obstacle course, air bowling and ‘flying saucers’
- A ‘design your own spikes’ template for kids to make their dream spikes
- An activity pyramid with different running, jumping and balancing challenges
The ‘Kids’ Athletics Day at home’ toolkit can easily be printed off at home or at school so that kids can get active in their own backyards, with their friends, in the playground at school – or wherever they can practice sport safely.
On social media, World Athletics will be sharing photos of people, events and organisations across the world who have joined us to celebrate Kids’ Athletics Day. We invite everyone taking part in the day’s events, whether through a club or organisation, at school, or at home, to share images from their own celebrations using the hashtag #KidsAthleticsDay.
Join in the fun on Kids’ Athletics Day and let’s get the world moving!
