The International Olympic Day is celebrated on 23rd June every year. It was officially established on 23rd June 1984 by The International Olympic Committee (IOC) to promote competitive sport and for the betterment of the ancient Olympic Games.
For the last two decades, the day has been celebrated as Olympic Day Run. It is an International Olympic movement activity where mass participation in sports have started. In some countries, it has also included in the school’s extracurricular activities.
This year Summer Olympics in Tokyo is scheduled to be held from 23rd July to 28th August. It gets delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic which was previously scheduled in 2020 and it is also referred to as the ‘2020 Tokyo Olympics’. It consists of 339 events across 33 sports are lined up at the games.
So, by keeping the Olympic spirit up and celebrating the event of The International Olympic Day, we are presenting a list of top 5 popular movies that shows us the lives of athletes who have taken part in the international events.
1. Chariots of Fire (1981)
Chariots of Fire is a 1981 British historical drama. It is directed by Hugh Hudson. It starred Ben Cross and Ian Charleson in the lead roles. It is a story based on the lives of British athletes Eric Liddle and Harold Abrahams. It shows us the rivalry between them and their journey to become Olympic champions at the Paris Olympic Games in 1924.
2. Miracle (2004)
The miracle is directed by Gavin O’Connor. It is a story of the US ice hockey team and their head coach Herb Brooks. It starred Kurt Russell. It is different from the usual sports film, in this film the coach is playing the lead role and not the star athlete. Brook has hired as the head coach despite his unorthodox methods and many challenges, he successfully leads them to victory.
3. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is a Hindi film directed by Rakesh Omprakash Mehra. This film portrays the life of legendary Indian athlete Milkha Singh, who recently passed away on 18th June 2021. It starred Farhan Akhtar. It shows us the whole life of Milkha Singh starting from the 1960 Olympic Games, his harsh growing years to become a successful athlete. It also reveals the hardships and struggles faced by common peoples due to the partition of India and Pakistan. He makes a name for himself ‘The Flying Sikh’ by running.
4. Foxcatcher (2014)
Foxcatcher is a movie that shows us the darker side of sports. It starred Steve Carrell, Channing Tatum, and Mark Ruffalo. It is a story of Olympic champions and brothers Mark and Dave Schultz. It was a story of 1987, the brothers were Olympic wrestling champions and have won in the 1984 Games. Mark feels that he will be overshadowed by his brother Dave and he started to engage himself in self-destructive habits. It was encouraged by Du Pont, a wealthy patron who invited the brothers to take part in his wrestling team, Foxcatcher.
5. I, Tonya (2017)
I, Tonya is an American film. It stars Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Alison Janey in lead roles. The film is presented in mockumentary-style comedic interviews and it follows the breaking of the fourth wall. The film shows us the graph of figure skater Tonya Harding. Harding firstly failed to achieve a podium finish for the Olympic Games, placing 8th in the 1994 Winter Games. The film shows us her real-life Olympic skates sequences and costumes.
