Sania Mirza to feature in virtual Summer Olympics festival

Indian tennis star Sania Mirza is all set to host her very own segment at the first-of-its-kind Summer Festival of Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences – a virtual event starting from July 24.

The five-day online festival, organized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Worldwide Olympic Partner Airbnb, will feature over a 100 Olympians and Paralympians hosting curated interactive online experiences for viewers.

Sania Mirza’s section titled ‘Grand Slam inspired training regime with Sania’ is scheduled for July 28 and will focus on the fundamentals of training as well as physical and mental wellness.

“During the experience, I will take guests through a quick functional training, share my training regime and inspire them to strike the perfect balance between wellness of the mind and body, all from the comfort of my home in Hyderabad,” Sania Mirza said.

“For me, a good workout is not just essential to keep for my physical performance but also helps me rejuvenate my mind,” she reasoned.

Other than Sania Mirza, premier athletes from different sporting disciplines and countries will feature as hosts at the festival. Naomi Osaka, Yusra Mardini, Rui Hachimura, Allyson Felix, Lex Gillette and other top athletes are also scheduled to be part of the event.

More about the event

With the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games postponed until 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the curated programme of activities is aimed at bringing the spirit of the Games online and will start on the same date Tokyo 2020 was originally set to kick off from.

“The Olympic Games bring the whole world together and whilst we will all have to wait one more year to celebrate in Tokyo, the Olympic flame continues to be the light at the end of the dark tunnel humankind is currently going through," IOC President Thomas Bach said.

“This festival is a great platform to unite and inspire the world in the spirit of friendship and solidarity this summer.”

Fans can book their slots for the sessions they are interested in and the proceeds will provide valuable income to the athlete hosts, including some on the road to their Olympic and Paralympic dreams.

Spectators can also watch select Online Experiences live or on replay on the Airbnb, Olympic and Paralympic YouTube channels.