News It was on 23 June 1894 that Pierre de Coubertin's dream became reality and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was born To celebrate the IOC's official birthday on this date every year, sports organisations around the world organise a series of events to encourage people to get involved in sports and lead more active lives In 2016, Olympic Day activities are being held  this week on six continents with several thousand events worldwide and more than 160 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs) Superstars of sport, including Tour de France winner and Olympic medallist Chris Froome, took to social media to call on people "to get active and do some sport " In many countries, the highlight of the celebrations is the Olympic Day run, usually held on the weekends closest to the day itself This year, tens of thousands of people are participating in these runs and reaping the physical and mental benefits of sport, sometimes for the first time In Ukraine, there has been Brazilian flavour to the festivities, with less than 50 days to go until the start of Rio 2016  Participants in the Olympic Day celebrations enjoyed a taste of some well-known facets of Brazilian culture, such as Carnival, caipirinhas and capoeira In the capital Kiev, over 5,000 people took part in the event, which was opened by Olympic legend Sergey Bubka The multiple world and Olympic pole vault champion helped out in a traditional Brazilian-style barbecue, skewering and roasting a tropical pineapple over the coals   Across the border in Belarus, children and adults celebrated the day with some taekwondo In the warmer climes of Malta, runners participated in a fun run through the historic capital of Valletta People chose between three distances: 10km, 5km and 1 5km Everyone who completed the course received a commemorative t-shirt and a certificate Runners of all ages competed in a morning fun run in Valletta (Photo: Malta Olympic Committee) In Guatemala in central America, runners could choose between four, eight and 12km for the run  On-hand to signal the start of the race was Guatemala’s Olympic silver medallist from London 2012, the Rio-bound racewalker Erick Barrondo   In Cambodia, Rio 2016 athletes Takisaki Kiniaki and Chov Sotheara led the celebrations, taking part in a festival of running in Phnom Penh More than 5,000 runners from 35 countries participated in a series of races in the nation’s capital  There was a record turn-out for the run in Phnom Penh (Photo: Cambodia Olympic Committee) In the USA, a record-breaking 2,120 events are scheduled in 1,503 communities across the country In total, more than 800,000 Americans are expected to come together in celebration of the Olympic Movement In Los Angeles, more than 500 young Angelenos will be able to rotate through eight Olympic and Paralympic sport stations, led by Olympic athletes and others “The growth and popularity of Olympic Day underscores the important role that sport can play in the community, and we look forward to some great events this summer," said Scott Blackmun, head of the US Olympic Committee In Slovenia, the highlight of the week was the final “My Olympic Challenge” event, which took place in the capital Ljubljana ahead of Olympic Day The challenge is a nationwide initiative and series of events that encourage people to get active and get into sport It was launched in April during a visit by IOC President Thomas Bach   School visits As well as sports events, many NOCs are organising cultural and educational activities for schools In Uganda, more than 8,000 youngsters will gather on Thursday for a day of physical, educational and cultural activities at a school on the outskirts of the capital city, Kampala  Planned activities include an Olympic Day run and walk, as well as a selection of demonstration sports for the children to experience Over 20 Ugandan Olympians led by reigning Olympic Marathon champion and London 2012 gold medallist Stephen Kiprotich, will attend the event In Australia, Olympians will be visiting primary and secondary schools, talking about their experience at the Olympic Games, participating in sports activities and highlighting the positive impact sport has had on their lives   “The next generation of Olympians are currently sitting in classrooms around Australia,” the country's Olympic chef de mission Kitty Chiller said  “Most current athletes would remember an Olympian coming and visiting their school, so this is a very important day in the Olympic calendar ” In the UK, to celebrate the inclusion of rugby sevens at Rio 2016, the GB Olympians Association is taking part in a schools rugby sevens tournament across the city of Coventry Primary and secondary school schildren will learn about the Olympic values of friendship, excellence and respect, with a host of British Olympians taking part