IOC, Reliance and Bindra Foundation expand Let’s Move campaign

MUMBAI: Ready, set, move. From classrooms and playgrounds to running tracks and yoga mats, the Olympic movement is once again urging young Indians to take that all-important first step towards a more active life. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), in partnership with the Abhinav Bindra Foundation and Reliance Foundation, is bringing back its Let’s Move campaign to India, with this year’s edition carrying a simple but powerful message: You Can Do This.

Launching on Olympic Day on 23 June, the initiative aims to inspire young people to embrace physical activity and build self-belief through sport. The campaign follows two successful editions that have already engaged more than 20 million people across India through a mix of on-ground activations, digital content and the Olympic Values Education Programme (OVEP).

The renewed push comes against a concerning backdrop. According to the World Health Organization (2024), 74 per cent of Indian children and adolescents aged 11-17 and 49 per cent of adults fail to meet recommended physical activity levels, contributing to growing health and well-being challenges.

This year’s campaign focuses on breaking one of the less visible barriers to participation: self-doubt. By encouraging young people to take just one step, one session or one breath towards being active, the initiative aims to demonstrate how sport can foster confidence, resilience, perseverance and communication skills.

As part of the programme, the Abhinav Bindra Foundation is expanding its reach to five territories Odisha, Assam, Chandigarh, Telangana and Meghalaya. Students will participate in indoor sports, yoga sessions and classroom-based activities, with the campaign expected to engage approximately 4 million students during its run. To date, more than 12 million children have been impacted through the initiative.

Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra said the programme continues to empower young people through sport, emphasising that its benefits extend far beyond physical health to personal growth and self-belief.

Reliance Foundation is also scaling up its involvement. Since 2024, OVEP has reached more than 338,869 students across 464 schools and Anganwadis in 16 states. This year, the foundation plans to engage around 1,800 Anganwadis and 44,000 children through movement-based activities, games and community sports sessions centred on the You Can Do This theme.

Olympian and national hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, the first Indian woman to compete in the 100m hurdles at the Olympic Games, will join the campaign alongside other athletes, sharing stories of overcoming setbacks and self-doubt.

Adding a community dimension, running clubs across the country will host symbolic runs lasting 20 minutes and 28 seconds on Olympic Day, a nod to the upcoming LA28 Olympic Games, where cricket returns to the programme for the first time since 1900.

What began as an Olympic Day initiative has evolved into the IOC’s year-round global participation campaign. Launched in partnership with the World Health Organization in 2023, Let’s Move seeks to promote the physical and mental health benefits of sport while encouraging more people to make movement a daily habit.

With over 20 million Indians already engaged through the initiative, the latest edition is looking to turn inspiration into action, one step at a time.