e-News n°124

27 December 2024

18 April - International Day for Monuments and Sites

Every year on 18 April, ICOMOS celebrates the “International Day for Monuments and Sites”, whose establishment was approved by the 22nd UNESCO General Conference in 1983. The 2016 theme for the Day is: The Heritage of Sport.

Aim of the International Day

The aim of the International Day for Monuments and Sites is to encourage local communities and individuals throughout the world to consider the importance of cultural heritage to their lives, identities and communities, and to promote awareness of its diversity and vulnerability and the efforts required to protect and conserve it.

2016 Theme: The Heritage of Sport

The Olympic Games will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in August 2016. ICOMOS wishes to dedicate the 2016 International Day for Monuments and Sites to the heritage of sport, since sports have developed from the origin of mankind onwards and have left testimonies to the diversity of installations and facilities related to their practice, many of them bearing values related to the development of architecture, art and techniques. From Greek and Roman stadia or pre-Hispanic ball courts in Middle-America to modern high-tech installations, many of these buildings and ensembles have become part of our cultural heritage.

Dedicating the 18 April 2016 to the heritage of sport has the purpose of celebrating the role of sports in the improvement of human life through the recognition and enhancement of specific types of monuments and sites; raising awareness of their values and the role they hold in shaping the cultural identity of concerned communities, at national, regional or local levels.

ICOMOS Committees have therefore been kindly invited to organize activities related to the heritage of sport, with the aim of raising awareness of its values and, in some cases, the requirements for adequate protection. Activities include, among others, conferences, lectures, press releases, round tables, visits to heritage properties, etc.

Events calendar

Click here to consult the calendar of all 18 April events organised by ICOMOS Committees and other organisations – this will be regularly up-dated as information on events comes in. Over 45 events have already been announced in 31 countries.

Bibliography: The Heritage of Sport

As the 2016 theme for the ICOMOS International Day on Monuments and Sites celebrated on 18 April is the Heritage of Sport, ICOMOS Documentation centre edited this special bibliography. It refers to documents and materials available at ICOMOS Documentation Centre. It does not intend to be a comprehensive list of scientific literature on the heritage of sport. Any reference can be consulted or scanned, subject to the limits of copyright legislation.

Image : Chichen Itza, Mexique - Gran Juego de Pelota - Flickr / David Hamill

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