World Athletics invites the globe to get active on Kids’ Athletics Day 2023

With today (Friday 7th April) Marking World Health Day, World Athletics is inviting kids across the world to ‘Move, Play, Explore’ in advance of Kids’ Athletics Day 2023 on 7th May.

An annual celebration which takes place, Kids’ Athletics Day is a global day entirely dedicated to celebrating children and young people being active by participating in athletics.

Kids’ Athletics Day is the cornerstone of World Athletics’ Kids’ Athletics program - a free and exciting programme that uses the power of athletics to inspire children and young people, wherever they are, to be more active, develop their skills and confidence, and to connect with sport for life.

Kids’ Athletics is one of the biggest grassroots development programmes in the world of sport and since the original Kids Athletics Program was launched in 2002, it has been implemented by more than 100 Member Federations and has reached an estimated cumulative audience of more than 13 million children and young people.

World Athletics President, Sebastian Coe explains “we believe that every child is born to move, to play and to explore. No matter where they are in the world or their individual circumstances, it’s their fundamental right to have access to sport.

“In response to the recent World Health Organization Physical Activity report highlighting the fact that 81% of youth globally are considered inactive, World Athletics is aiming to play its part in getting the world moving by offering children and young people the opportunity to participate in a fun, positive and safe environment - with the goal of providing quality experiences in physical activity and sport.

“Our objective is simple; we want all kids to get active so that they can live happier and healthier lives.”

In order to achieve its ambitious goal of getting 400,000 children active on 7th May - the highest ever level of participation in Kids' Athletics Day - World Athletics has launched a global Kids’ Athletics Day Challenge to all of its member federations (mfs) and continental area associations.

The Member Federation with the best Kids’ Athletics Day activation - measured by a combination of participation rates, social media engagement levels and overall innovation - will be awarded a prize including a US$10,000 one-off Kids’ Athletics MF Challenge award to be used to promote and activate Kids’ Athletics (or an equivalent youth activity) in their country.

In addition, the area association with the best participation rate (based on a cumulative score of the participating MFs in each area using the same measures as the MF Challenge described above, and considering the activities undertaken by the area to promote Kids’ Athletics Day) will also be eligible for a US$10,000 one-off Kids’ Athletics Area Challenge award to be used to promote and activate Kids’ Athletics at an Area Championships.

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