Thousands of children around the world celebrated Children’s Athletics Day on Wednesday, May 7, with the “Around the World Relay” challenge, an initiative launched by World Athletics.
Relays, joy, and global mobilisation: Children’s Athletics Day once again united young people around sport on Wednesday, May 7. Through the “Around the World Relay” challenge, nearly 500,000 children participated in more than 100 countries, according to World Athletics, the global athletics governing body.
In Tokyo, Japan, Sebastian Coe, President of World Athletics, joined the Children’s Athletics Day celebrations alongside Yuriko Koike, Governor of Tokyo, and Mitsugi Ogata, President of the Japan Athletics Federation (JAAF).
All reaffirmed their commitment to making the Tokyo 2025 World Championships in Athletics (WCH Tokyo 25, September 13-21) an event with a strong educational legacy.
With this in mind, the organisers announced several initiatives for children and youth: invitations to competitions, sports workshops, and behind-the-scenes visits to the championships – all activities aimed at conveying the values of the Kids’ Athletics program: respect, friendship, determination, and pride.
On the African continent, Kenya and Uganda were among the most active nations. In Kabale, Uganda, more than 5,000 children participated in relays accompanied by tree-planting activities, highlighting the link between sport and sustainability.
In Kenya, dozens of similar events were organised in Makueni and Elgeyo Marakwet counties, combining athletic performance with environmental awareness.
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