Olympic Day Run

Date : Saturday, 2 July 2005
Time : 8.00 am – 11.00 am
Start Point: Marina Promenade Park (Opposite Ritz Carlton, under the Benjamin Sheares Bridge)
End Point: Stadium Green, Singapore Indoor Stadium

The Olympic Day Run in Singapore was celebrated on Saturday, 2nd July 2005, to coincide with the 117th IOC Session in Singapore.

Singapore joined more than 100 countries worldwide to hold the Olympic Day Run 2005, a global event that celebrates the spirit of Olympism and encourages people of all athletic abilities to get active and support the Olympic Movement. Olympic Day Run was organised by Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC) and exclusive worldwide partner McDonald’s, and with partners from Singapore Pools, Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC), Singapore Sports Council (SSC), Team Singapore, Singapore Amateur Athletic Association (SAAA), and the Singapore Olympic Academy.

This year’s event was historic as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Dr. Jacques Rogge personally delivered his Olympic Day message and flagged off the Run. Dr Rogge was in Singapore to attend the 117th International Olympic Committee Session from July 6 to 9.
Minister for Defence and President of SNOC, Mr Teo Chee Hean, and Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, also took part in the event, joining Singapore Olympians and sports personalities and more than 2,500 participants in celebrating the spirit of Olympism.

Participants comprised schoolchildren, a 500-strong contingent from McDonald’s, and members of National Sports Associations, Singapore Central Healthy Lifestyle Clubs and the Ministry of Health. The run/walk was 3.8 km route from Marina Promenade Park and ended at Stadium Green, Singapore Indoor Stadium where a host of activities were staged, making this year’s Olympic Day Run a bigger event than those held in the past.

“In this International Year of Sport and Physical Education proclaimed by the United Nations, the 2005 Olympic Day Run recalls that sport is more than ever a part of social development and that physical activity is essential to guarantee to everyone a healthy body and mind,” by Dr Rogge.

Mr Ng Ser Miang, Vice President of SNOC and IOC member in Singapore, said: “We are honoured to have IOC President Jacques Rogge here to deliver his Olympic Day Run message and flag off the Run, making this year’s run a milestone event. With Ministers Teo Chee Hean and Vivian Balakrishnan also participating, this year’s Olympic Day Run is a truly memorable one.”

Mr Kenneth Chan, General Manager, McDonald’s Restaurants Singapore, said: “McDonald’s sponsorship of Olympic Day Run reinforces our commitment to our customers’ well being, our support of the Olympic Movement, and the importance and fun of activity and fitness. With the Olympic Day Run, we aim to encourage people to lead active, balanced lifestyles, as part of our broader effort to educate everyone about energy balance through our ‘it’s what i eat and what i do…i’m lovin’ it™’ initiative.”

To commemorate this year’s Olympic Day Run milestone, the first-ever Olympic Day Run T-shirt design competition was held, in collaboration with La-Salle SIA College of the Arts. The winning entry, which uses the Olympic colours to capture the Olympic values of sporting dynamism, optimism, passion and friendship, was featured on tee-shirts worn by Olympic Day Run participants.

As part of the Olympic Day Run celebrations, McDonald’s and SNOC also lined up programmes at the end point of the run, at Stadium Green in Kallang. McDonald’s Chief Happiness Officer and Balanced Active Lifestyles ambassador Ronald McDonald led the crowds in doing the “it’s what i eat and what i do… I’m lovin’ it” workout. Members of the public also enjoyed wushu, silat, taekwondo, and cheerleading demonstrations and took part in novel sports like the trampoline, basketball shoot out, badminton challenge, table tennis challenge, bowling and “human soccer”, the live variation of table soccer. 350 school kids were also involved in an Art competition and a jigsaw puzzle competition at the Waterfront Plaza.

Supporting the event were Sports personalities Ms Li Jiawei (Table Tennis), Sportswoman of the Year 2002 to 2005, Ms Zhang Xueling, (Table Tennis), Ms Tan Paey Fern (Table Tennis), Ms Jing Junhong (Table Tennis),
Mr Lee Wung Yew (Shooting), Maximulian Soh (Sailing), Mr Tan Wearn Haw (Sailing), Mr Poh Seng Song (Athletics), Ms Zhang Guirong (Athletics),Mr Mohamed Saifuddin Bin Mohamed Julaimi (Silat), Sportsboy of the Year 2005, Ms Saiedah Bte Said (Silat), Sportsgirl of the Year 2005, Ms Valerie Teo (Bowling), Mr Aide Iskandar (Football), S Subramani (Football), Mr Goh Tat Chuan (Football) and Mr Daniel Benett (Footabll).

The Olympic Day Run began in 1987 to commemorate the foundation of the IOC on June 23, 1894 by Baron Pierre de Coubertin. The event continues to grow in popularity internationally, from 45 participating National Olympic Committees (NOCs) in its first year to more than 160 in 2004. More than seven million people, including those with disabilities, have participated in the Olympic Day Run around the world.

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