Tulsa, OK – Mayor Kathy Taylor announced today that June 25 will be celebrated citywide as Olympic Day with a special event featuring Eric Guerrero, an Olympian in Wrestling at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Guerrero is currently Assistant Head Coach for Wrestling at Oklahoma State University.

“As mayor of Tulsa, I am committed to increasing the overall health and fitness of the city. Olympic Day is the perfect opportunity to have one of our great Olympians visit with Whiteside Day Camp kids and share how the importance of proper diet and exercise can lead to a longer, healthier life,” said Mayor Kathy Taylor. “Exercising regularly is essential for Tulsans, of all ages – it will help us lead strong and healthy lives to last a lifetime. The Olympics not only promote a sense of pride for every citizen but also encourages unity on national and international levels, which will lead to a more peaceful, hopeful world.”

Eric Guerrero said, “Our children are our greatest resource. The more we can educate them on how to take care of their bodies, the better off they will be. Exercise, eating right and academics all help in the development of well-rounded lives. There’s no better way to teach children the importance of health and exercise, than by getting out there ourselves, and participating in the Tulsa Million Miles initiative.”

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) celebrates Olympic Day annually with events at the Olympic Training Centers and official training sites, as well as coordinating activities with affiliated sport National Governing Bodies and multi-sport organizations.

This year, through a partnership with Chicago 2016, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and the U.S. Conference of Mayors, Olympic Day celebrations have expanded to cities across the country. In each community, the program will encourage physical activity and promote the Olympic values of fair play, cooperation, and respect for others. Chicago 2016 is the organization seeking the privilege to host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

At the urging of Mayor Daley during the U.S. Conference of Mayors in January in Washington, D.C., Mayor Taylor joined mayors across the country in a collective pledge of support for hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Chicago in 2016.

Today’s mayoral proclamation and the community’s cooperative celebration with other cities will send a clear message to the International Olympic Committee that Tulsa and the United States of America support Chicago’s bid for the Games. The 2016 Host City will be named on October 2, 2009, in Copenhagen, Denmark. Chicago is competing for this honor alongside Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Tokyo (Japan), and Madrid (Spain).

Olympic Day is a worldwide commemoration of Baron Pierre de Coubertin’s June 23, 1894, convening of the first International Olympic Committee meeting at the Sorbonne in Paris, and the founding of the Modern Olympic Games. National Olympic Committees throughout the world will also participate in the international celebration, with each Olympic Committee sending Olympic Day greetings to participating nations.