The World observes World Athletics Day 2020 on May 7 (Thursday). The day, which was introduced by International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), is celebrated to inspire the youngsters all over the World to take part in athletics. With the increase in cases of obesity and mental issues amongst youngsters nowadays, it is very important to understand the importance of physical and mental fitness. Athletics is something which doesn’t just keeps your body in shape but also puts you mind set in a positive state.  World Athletics Day Aims to Promote the Fitness Culture Among the Youngsters.

World Athletics Day 2020 is celebrated in the month of May every year. However, the dates can be varied by IAAF. In 2019, the prominent day was celebrated on May 7 and the dates are said to be the same for this year too. On previous occasions, various types of athletic competition like road running and race walking were organized in the day. This year, however, no such celebrations are possible owing to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

World Athletics Day 2020 Theme:

The theme of the World Athletics Day 2020 is “Athletics for a Better World.” In the modern day and age, many people are facing various sorts of health issues at a very early age. Thus, the importance of the day is to promote physical fitness among people across the globe.

World Athletics Day History:

In May 1996, the World Athletics Day was introduced by Primo Nebiolo, the then president of IAAF. The inaugural edition of the tournament was themed around the Centennial edition of the Olympic Games in Atlanta. Several sort of sporting events like running and race walking were organised in the tournament. Two boys and girls from the event were picked from each of the continental areas and they got the opportunity to see Olympic Games in Atlanta.

IAAF is international governing body for the sport of athletics which was made back in 1912 at Sweden. The event was organized in the same format for many years.  In 2006, however, only those contestants could participate who were aged between 7-15 years but later on, the age gap was changed to 13 to 17 years.

Significance of World Athletics Day:

Initially, World Athletics Day only concentrated in the participation of children who were members of clubs affiliated to IAAF federations. However, the range was of the project was widened later in order to include the participation of school children in team competitions. Meanwhile, let’s take a look at the main scope of World Athletic Day.

1. To increase awareness of about sports amongst the children in order to make them understand about the importance of physical fitness.

2. Promote Athletics as the primary sport in schools and institutions.

3. Increase the popularity of sports among youth.

4. Establish a link between the youth, sport, and environmental conservation.

5. To establish athletics as the top-participated sport in schools all over the world.

More than 100 countries across the seven continents took part in the previous editions of the tournament. More importantly, the event has managed to make many youngsters understand the importance on fitness. With the growing age, many features and parts of the human body tends to get weak. In that case, keeping body in best shape is important for people all over the world.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 07, 2020 06:50 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).