Venezuela has been named winner of the Kids’ Athletics Day Challenge after engaging more than three million children during this year’s month-long global campaign. The 2026 Kids’ Athletics Day campaign marked five years of celebrating and inspiring children to move, play and explore through athletics. More than seven million children took part in more than 10,000 activations and events across 110 countries in all six areas. The campaign, which ran throughout May, celebrated the power of athletics to inspire children around the world to be more active, while promoting the Kids’ Athletics values of movement, learning, inclusion, sustainability and community. It represents the biggest response yet to Kids’ Athletics Day, with the top-performing Member Federations demonstrating the impact that can be achieved when Kids’ Athletics is delivered through strong partnerships with schools, government ministries, education systems and community partners. “We are delighted to be marking five years of Kids’ Athletics Day with the most successful activation to date,” said World Athletics President Sebastian Coe. “With more than seven million children taking part, this shows the importance of integrating programmes such as Kids’ Athletics through government ministries, schools and delivery partners so they can reach the greatest number of children possible. Congratulations to all who participated and especially to Venezuela for their impressive activation.” Venezuela topped this year’s Kids’ Athletics Day Challenge after delivering more than 8000 Kids’ Athletics activations and activities between 1 and 31 May. The success of the campaign was based on a strong collaboration between the Venezuelan Athletics Federation, the Ministry of Sports, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Communes, with activities held across 25 states. Children from schools, clubs and community groups were given the opportunity to take part in Kids’ Athletics activities, helping to make the programme accessible nationwide. “We are working with all our coaches, regional federations and our country’s athletics association to promote Kids’ Athletics throughout the national territory,” said Franklin Cardillo, Venezuela’s Minister of Sport. “Everyone has contributed so that athletics can grow, expand and develop across the whole country.” Sustainability was also embedded into many of the activations in Venezuela, with recyclable materials used as equipment and children encouraged to learn more about protecting the environments in which they live and play. As winner of the challenge, Venezuela will receive a US$10,000 award to support the promotion and activation of Kids’ Athletics, or an equivalent youth activity, in the country. “The Venezuelan Athletics Federation expresses its deepest gratitude to the National Government, the Minister of Sport, the Ministry of Education, the community sector, regional associations, athletics clubs, physical education teachers, parents and guardians for their invaluable support and commitment,” said the Venezuelan Athletics Federation. “Above all, we thank the children, who are the true protagonists of this initiative. Their participation and enthusiasm are the driving force behind our work every day. “Reaching more than three million participants in Venezuela is the result of the joint effort and commitment of all those involved. It represents a significant milestone for sport in our nation, and we will continue working to strengthen grassroots sport and promote the values and benefits of athletics among children and young people.” Uganda and Benin were named as runners-up after also delivering wide-reaching national Kids’ Athletics campaigns. Uganda reached more than 2.5 million children through a programme implemented across state and private primary schools, delivered in collaboration with Uganda Athletics, the Ministry of Education and Sports, and the Uganda Primary Schools Sports Association. Kids’ Athletics is fully integrated into the physical education curriculum in Uganda, with a structured system of inter-school, zonal, district and national primary school activities giving children aged six to 14 the opportunity to take part across the country. Uganda’s programme also placed emphasis on inclusion and sustainability. Children with special needs took part under the theme “leave no one behind”, while environmental awareness was incorporated through tree-planting initiatives supported by the National Forestry Authority. Benin, which was also a runner-up in the 2024 Kids’ Athletics Day Challenge, engaged more than one million children across 24 regions through a nationwide campaign delivered in collaboration with the Ministry of Sport, the Ministry of Education and other national sports federations, including football and basketball. Kids’ Athletics is World Athletics’ flagship participation programme for children, designed to develop fundamental movement and athletics skills in a fun, safe and inclusive way. This year’s Kids’ Athletics Day campaign was launched on 1 May by Kids’ Athletics ambassador Letsile Tebogo in Gaborone, Botswana, on the eve of the Debswana World Athletics Relays Gaborone 26. The 2026 campaign also followed the recent launch of the Kids’ Athletics app, a free digital resource designed to make Kids’ Athletics activities more accessible to children, schools, clubs, coaches, teachers and families around the world. Since its launch in 2022, Kids’ Athletics Day has grown into a global celebration, reaching children across schools, clubs and communities around the world. |
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