PARIS– Fresh out the most extravagant wedding of the yearNita Ambani inaugurated the India House for the Paris Olympics on Saturday.
The first of its kind at the Olympic Games for India, the temporary venue aims to promote Indian culture as the country aspires to host the 2036 Games. The venture was born out of a partnership between the Indian Olympic Association and the Reliance Foundation, founded and presided over by Ambani.
“Today we gather here at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games to open the doors to a dream. A dream that belongs to 1.4 billion Indians. A dream to bring India to the Olympics and our common dream to bring the Olympics to India,” Ambani, a member of the International Olympic Committee, said in his speech.
Casa da India is one of the several hospitality houses that emerge around the Games, affiliated with participating countries or brands. This is some of what will be offered from Saturday until August 11th, the day of the closing ceremony:
— Tributes to Indian architecture and artistic motifs (think tigers and peacocks)
— Virtual reality tourism
– Cricket matches
— Workshops on block printing
— Henna tattoo and Bollywood dance
— A lounge for athletes
— Food, of course, ranging from biryani and lamb curry to curd rice and various desserts.
“It’s beautiful, it’s colorful. It’s smiles, it’s joy, it’s happiness. It’s India,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said at the event. “It’s what we all love, the whole world. The world is here today. And India House unites the world.”
Infantino was there to encourage the development of football in India, whose men’s team is ranked 124th and the women’s team is 67th in their respective FIFA rankings.
“In India, football is fantastic,” he said. “Together, we make football grow even more. And I’m here for it. So to all Indians: take note, football is coming in earnest now in India.”
India sent 112 athletes across 16 sports to the Olympics.
In addition to daily activities, India House will host performances, including an opening night concert by famous Bollywood singer Shaan. Sunday is “Bollywood Day”, but will feature a one-hour session with former cricketer and coach Rahul Dravid on the future of cricket at the Olympics.
Men’s and women’s cricket, played in the Twenty20 format, will be added at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Ambani was accompanied by her husband, Mukesh Ambani, the billionaire industrialist who is the richest man in Asia. It’s been a busy month for the couple: Youngest son Anant Ambani was married just two weeks ago in an elaborate, global celebrity-filled affair that many have dubbed the wedding of the year.
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