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Olympic Day 2012 focuses on “Being fit and active – a healthy lifestyle through sport”

The American Samoa National Olympic (ASNOC) in partnership with Department of Parks & Recreation and McDonald’s American Samoa, will be hosting the 2012 Olympic Day this Saturday, June 23rd at the Su’igaula Utulei Beach Park.

“Olympic Day” is a worldwide annual event of the Olympic Movement, and ASNOC joins the International Olympic Committees (IOCs) in the world to promote this movement and take advantage of this occasion to share the Olympic spirit with everyone in our Territory,” said Ken Tupua, President of the ASNOC.

“This is an opportunity for everyone to come together, move together and learn about the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect,” added Tupua.

Olympic Day was introduced in 1984 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on June 23, 1894 at the Sorbonne University in Paris. It is to promote the Olympic ideals of participation, tolerance, equality, solidarity, fair play and peace; contributing towards a peaceful and better society.

Over the last 20 years, Olympic Day has been associated with the Olympic Day Runs all over the world and 205 NOCs will participate in this year’s celebration.

“Thousands of men, women and children, senior citizens, athletes and disabled people representing all backgrounds and social classes will be taking part in the Olympic Day Runs all over the world commemorating in their own way the creation of the Olympic Games,” said Tupua.

The theme for this year’s Olympic Day is “Being fit and active – a healthy lifestyle through sport”.

“Given the ongoing challenges facing our Territory’s population with the high rate of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, ASNOC has decided again to use the theme from last year with the goal of encouraging everyone to start and maintain living a Healthy Lifestyle through Sports.”  said House Rep. Larry Sanitoa, Chairman of the Olympic Day Organizing Committee.

“The staggering and disheartening statistics on the prevalent non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, obesity and high blood pressure in American Samoa has reinvigorated our efforts as our territory sports body to do more than just promoting sports” added Rep. Sanitoa.

“We need to continue to accentuate upon our people the importance of our health and the direct correlations in getting involved with sports,” said Rep. Sanitoa.

The program is scheduled to start with an Olympic Day Run which will be a 10K run from Aveina Store in Nuuuli to the Su’igaula Utulei Beach Park on Saturday morning. Registration for the 10K will begin at 5:30 a.m. in front of Aveina Store and the official race will start at about 6 a.m.

The fun run/walk will start around 6 a.m. from SM Mart (last store in Nuuuli - going to Fagatogo) or for a shorter leisure walk route start from  Fagaalu Park at the same time. Zumba will start right after the Olympic Day Run.

Activities at Su’igaula Utulei Beach Park are scheduled to start from 7 a.m. to 12 noon. Activities will include sports competitions and demonstrations. (Refer to Olympic Day Ad in Samoa News)

The Department of Public Health will be there to do screening and providing educational facts about your health and sports.

For more information, please call the ASNOC office at 699-8855 or Rep. Larry Sanitoa at 733-3501.

BACKGROUND

Theme – Manu Lauti

Being fit and active – a healthy lifestyle through sport

Tausi le Tino lelei ma le malosi – e maua ai le soifua maloloina e ala I ta’aloga

Given the challenges our Territory’s population face today with the high rate of chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity, ASNOC’s goal is to use this day to encourage everyone to start living a Healthy Lifestyle through Sports.

Diabetes crisis is the most challenging health issue facing American Samoa.  World Health Organization (WHO) did a survey some years ago suggested that over 50% of the population in Am. Samoa have diabetes. With this current trends, one in three children born today will face a future with diabetes.

Approximately 40% of all deaths during 2006, 2007, 2008 up until March 30, this year are related to diabetes and related conditions (heart disease, hypertention, etc).

Over 71.3% of the children now from kindergarten to 11th grade are overweigh and obese. And the same number of over 70% had low activity.

According to medical records from LBJ from 2009 to 2010, the number of dialysis visits to the LBJ Medical Center increased by about 43%. The increase from 2010 to 2011 was about 26%. According to LBJ recent pre-dialysis patients in the Medical Clinic, the list suggests another steep increase in volume in the next few months.  LBJ is moving ahead with the expansion of the Dialysis Unit (increasing it from 23 stations to 49).  As a point of reference, Tucson, Arizona, a city of just over a million people, has a total of 28 dialysis stations in the entire community.

Almost a half of our population being diabetic, we will expect a continued rise in numbers of dialysis patients in the future unless we do something about now. 

Financially this will be a big expenditure in our government budget.

The Olympic Day is intended to revive and remind the public of the benefits of physical activity (fa’amalosi tino) in general, particularly for our young people.

(Source: ASNOC press release)