On May 28, 2025, the Challenge Day Campaign will celebrate its 30th anniversary with the theme “30 Years of Movement,” reinforcing its commitment to promoting physical activity and well-being. Led by TAFISA with support from ISCA and UNESCO, the campaign is coordinated in the Americas by Sesc São Paulo, bringing together over 3,500 organizations in 14 countries to inspire movement as a universal right, accessible anytime and anywhere.
Aligned with the WHO’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA), Challenge Day 2025 promotes more active societies, environments, systems, and individuals. This edition introduces the “5% More Active” manifesto, an initiative by Sesc SP inviting mayors in São Paulo to commit to reducing physical inactivity by 5% during their terms, with an annual target of 1.25%.
With the motto “30 Years of Movement,” the campaign emphasizes that physical activity should be available to all, regardless of time or place. Through Sesc units and partners, it fosters a more active and healthier community, encouraging movement as an essential part of everyday life.
“30 Years of Movement” – Celebrate this milestone!
May 28 • 2025
#ChallengeDay
Over the past decades, Challenge Day has established itself as one of the leading global campaigns for promoting physical activity, connecting communities and inspiring significant changes in favor of health and well-being. Coordinated by Sesc São Paulo in Latin America and supported by ISCA and UNESCO, this initiative aims to reinforce the idea of physical and sports practices as a fundamental right for all individuals while also encouraging the development of public policies and partnerships to achieve this goal.
In 2025, we celebrate 30 years of the movement with the launch of the “5% More Active” commitment letter. This collective challenge is an invitation for municipal managers and local leaders to develop strategies to engage and attract more community members to physical and sports activities over the next four years. In order to achieve this goal, we have set a realistic target, particularly focused on expanding awareness networks and mobilizing public authorities, the private sector, and civil society to facilitate safe and equitable access to spaces and opportunities for practice. However, this effort faces complex structural challenges with sociocultural and economic implications.
Aligned with the World Health Organization’s Global Action Plan on Physical Activity 2018-2030, the proposal envisions the implementation of multisectoral actions that contribute to the practice of physical activities and the consolidation of a lasting culture of movement for health. In this cycle, we aspire to advance our mission of fostering a more active population for a healthier world, creating environments that uphold the right to access, participation, and the benefits of physical activity.
Luiz Deoclecio Massaro Galina Statement by Director - Sesc São Paulo
We enthusiastically celebrate another edition of Challenge Day, a campaign aimed at raising awareness among individuals, communities, organizations, and public administrators about the benefits of physical activity. Through programs that encourage sports participation and prioritize access for the least active, we seek to strengthen partnerships and leaderships that promote accessible and sustainable initiatives, creating a lasting support network for engagement in physical activity.
The “5% More Active” commitment letter invites municipalities to take on the challenge of increasing the number of active individuals in their communities by 5% over the next four years, with special attention to those who have fewer opportunities for physical activity. This commitment aims to expand participation in regular activities, promoting quality of life and health for all.
Beyond encouraging individual participation, Challenge Day fosters collaboration across sectors, forming a governance and leadership network that facilitates the development of sustainable and effective initiatives. May we inspire, through every action and partnership, the belief that movement is for everyone and that, together, we can create environments and opportunities for a healthier and more active life.
Carolina Seixas Statement by the Manager of Physical and Sports Development - Sesc São Paulo
The starting point
The winter of 1983 in Saskatoon, Canada, was especially cold. Thinking about the residents’ wellbeing, the mayor Clifford Wright suggested that they left their houses and went for a walk around the block. The idea was to get people active and warm while in movement. In the following year, Clifford invited the neighbor city and both made the walking at the same time. The essence of Challenge Day was created!
In 1990, TAFISA – The Association For International Sport for All– started promoting the event worldwide and gained more connections. In 1995, Sesc São Paulo begun to coordinate the activities in Brazil and a few years later in Latin America. Nowadays, Sesc São Paulo coordinates the event in the entire American Continent.
Mayor Clifford and the Saskatoon citizens could never, ever, imagine that 20 years later, Challenge Day would mobilize over 43 million people, in 3.469 cities all over Americas (data 2017)
Are you ready?
Sesc São Paulo holds the event for the first time in Brazil in partnership with The Association For International Sport for All (TAFISA). Pelé (at that time the Minister of Sport) attended the launching ceremony and the cities match-up, stating that the idea was “to incentive all Brazilians to practice sports.”
In a single phrase, the mayor of São José dos Campos – SP – Brazil expressed the essence of the event: “It is a great fun. It makes people remember that life is more than just working.”
SESC SP holds the coordination of Challenge Day in Latin America.
The campaign receives the institutional support of UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization) and ISCA (International Sport and Culture Association).
SESC SP is in charge of the coordination of Challenge Day in the American Continent.
In Brazil, the National Congress receives the proposal of the law project 1300 requesting the creation of the National Challenge Day, to incentive the daily practice of physical activity and sport.
In 2011, Challenge Day reached the record of participants in all editions – 4,023 communities – and 63.611.208 persons – in the American Continent.
On April 5, Law No. 13.645/18 was enacted, establishing the National Challenge Day.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Challenge Day took place entirely online. Additionally, the end of competition between cities was defined.
Goals for the triennium were defined: re-signify spaces for sports practice, train agents involved in the process, promote contact between partner institutions, establish an impact evaluation process for the project, commit partners to campaign objectives, and give visibility to projects demonstrating conceptual alignment with the campaign.
