The first citywide Sports Day will take place in Madrid on Sunday June 15 and Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardon said he hopes it will become a popular, permanent fixture.
According to a Madrid 2016 media release the aim of the event is to inspire the citizens of Madrid and encourage them to experience the Olympic spirit through different elements of sport.
One of the core objectives of Madrid 2016’s bid strategy is to make sport accessible for all, which it hopes will create a lasting legacy for the city, said the release.
Participants in the event will take part in a range of different Olympic and Paralympic sports in five locations throughout the city centre. Each will house various activities that will be free and open to the public and each area will be assigned a different colour relating to the Olympic Rings.
The event will also showcase many of the traditional sports that are representative of each of the 190 nationalities that make up Madrid’s population.
Ruiz Gallardon said, “the first Madrid Sports Day promises to be a great day for all involved. There is already outstanding support from the Spanish people for the Madrid 2016 Olympic bid and this event aims to build on existing enthusiasm and demonstrate that sport is available and relevant to everyone”.
The Sports Day forms an integral part of Madrid 2016’s underlying strategy in which hosting the Olympics creates a social legacy, said the media release.
