International Olympic Committee (IOC) unites with Abhinav Bindra Foundation and Reliance Foundation to celebrate Olympic Day 2025: #Let’s Move +1, India!

Marking Olympic Day on 23 June, the campaign shines a spotlight on the benefits of playing sport or working out with someone else—encouraging people to take the first step and bring a friend, sibling, colleague, or family member along. As part of the celebrations, over 50 sports venues across India will open their doors to the public for free paired sessions in sports such as football, padel, cricket, badminton and pickleball. Anyone can take part—just bring your +1 and move together.

Nearly 50 per cent of adults in India, and 81 per cent of young people globally, are failing to reach the recommended activity levels for optimal health (World Health Organization, 2024). Taking part in physical activities with others can help people start moving and keep going – through shared goals, encouragement, and enjoyment. Sport is more than moving, it is also an opportunity to spend time with others, connect and build community. This can create a sense of belonging and help fight loneliness – something the WHO has identified as a growing concern for people’s health – and support mental wellbeing.

As part of the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP), schools across the nation are invited to join the movement. Through OVEP, in collaboration with the IOC and the governments of Chandigarh UT, Odisha and Assam, the Abhinav Bindra Foundation initiative has already positively impacted over 10 million children by enhancing physical activity, gender inclusivity and educational outcomes.

This summer, more than 12 million schoolchildren are expected to take part across Chandigarh, Odisha, and Assam – including practising teamwork and balance through paired yoga, and rhythm and coordination through group dance sessions. There will be a variety of sports and movement activities to try, including skipping, football, cricket, volleyball and kho-kho – together with Olympic-themed arts and crafts on 23 June.

Olympic gold medallist in shooting at Beijing 2008 and IOC Athletes’ Commission member Abhinav Bindra said: “Through the Olympic Values Education Programme in Chandigarh, Assam and Odisha, and the inaugural ‘Let’s Move’ campaign in India, we have witnessed how sport can inspire, uplift, and empower the next generation. ‘Let’s Move +1’ carries this spirit forward, reminding us that sport is not just about physical strength—it is about fostering connection, mutual support, and a shared sense of purpose.”

The Reliance Foundation, as part of its commitment to OVEP, will be curating a number of initiatives to get more young people moving. These include activating their network of schools with fun “Let’s Move” activities. A special Olympic Day celebration on 23 June will see 1,450 schoolchildren move and interact with Olympians, including celebrated archers Atanu Das and Deepika Kumari.

“Sport has shaped who I am – it’s given me strength, taught me resilience, and opened opportunities. It has also shown me the value of having someone in your corner – to lift you up, to help you focus, to bring joy to the journey. That’s why I am excited to pay it forward by inviting young people to move with me, and share everything that sport brings,” said Reliance Foundation-supported athlete and four-time Olympian Deepika Kumari.

“Let’s Move” launched in collaboration with the WHO on Olympic Day 2023, aiming to create encouragement and opportunities to move more. It forms part of the Olympic Movement’s mission to make the world a better place through sport, setting out to highlight the positive impact that sport and fitness have on physical and mental health. Through local physical and digital activations, and partnerships with the Abhinav Bindra Foundation and Reliance Foundation and their ongoing OVEP initiatives, “Let’s Move” has already engaged over 20 million people in India.

“Let’s Move?” is the theme of Olympic Day, the global celebration of sport and getting active that takes place on 23 June each year to commemorate the founding of the modern Olympic Games in 1894. It will continue beyond Olympic Day, with the ambition, along with the support of the Olympic Movement, to continue to inspire and enable people to move and enjoy physical activity through resources, activations, and content.
Join the movement at @OlympicKhel #OlympicDay #LetsMove.

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About the International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is a not-for-profit, civil, non-governmental, international organisation made up of volunteers which is committed to building a better world through sport. It redistributes more than 90 per cent of its income to the wider sporting movement, which means that every day the equivalent of USD 4.7 million goes to help athletes and sports organisations at all levels around the world.
About the Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust
The Abhinav Bindra Foundation Trust (ABFT) is a national non-profit organisation committed to advancing sporting excellence and driving social transformation through the power of sport. Founded by India’s first individual Olympic gold medallist, Abhinav Bindra, the Foundation is built on the belief that sport is not just a pursuit of medals but a vehicle for holistic development, health, and education.
ABFT’s mission is rooted in four core pillars—Education, Mental Wellness, Sports Science Intervention and Social Upliftment. At the heart of this vision is the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP), a global initiative of the IOC that ABFT is leading in India. Through deep partnerships with state governments and local education systems, ABFT has already reached over 12 million schoolchildren across Odisha, Assam, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh—embedding the Olympic values of excellence, respect and friendship into daily classroom and community life.
Beyond education, ABFT’s work extends into athlete development and support through high-performance training scholarships, injury rehabilitation programmes, and mental wellness initiatives tailored for sportspersons. The Foundation also runs the Abhinav Bindra Sports Medicine and Research Institute (ABSMARI) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha—an advanced academic and clinical hub that integrates global best practices in physiotherapy and sports science education.
In the environmental space, ABFT is pioneering the Olympic Forest Project, a large-scale ecological restoration initiative in Odisha that combines carbon sequestration, indigenous afforestation, and rural livelihood enhancement across over 1,500 hectares.
Through these diverse yet interlinked initiatives, ABFT is building an ecosystem that promotes human development, resilience, and dignity—where sport serves not just as a goal, but as a means to achieve broader societal impact.
www.abft.in

About the Reliance Foundation
Reliance Foundation's sports initiatives have touched the lives of over 23 million young people since 2013 across the country from over 13,000 schools and colleges, providing an opportunity for talented children anywhere to be able to achieve their dream of a career in sport. It is especially committed to ensuring more presence and the success of girls and female athletes in India, and designs its programmes in a manner that offers them maximum opportunities. Reliance Foundation’s sports programme aims to develop the sporting ecosystem in India starting from the grassroots. Through its scholarship and athletics programmes, the foundation currently supports over 200 athletes in more than 10 Olympic sports. It also operates three world-class athletics training facilities in India, and has partnerships with the IOC, IOA, AFI and Odisha government. Reliance Foundation runs the Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) football academy, which is India's highest-rated football academy, with many graduates going on to represent various ISL clubs. The Foundation's approach to developing the football ecosystem includes organising four grassroots competitions: Reliance Foundation Youth Sports, RFYC Naupang League, RFYC Coastal League and Reliance Foundation Development League. For more information, go to: https://www.rfyouthsports.com/