International Olympic Committee member Nita Ambani hosted a celebration for India’s Olympians and Paralympians at her palatial Mumbai residence, Antilia. The event brought 140 Olympians and Paralympians under one roof for the first time on Sunday evening.
Athletes from across disciplines were honoured for their hard work and determination which has brought laurels to the country. “We are so proud of them. We are proud of each and every one of them. And today, we are going to honour them and show them the love and respect we have for them,” Reliance Foundation chairperson Nita Ambani told reporters ahead of the ‘United in Triump’ event at Antilia.
“We hope and we wish that United in Triumph can become a movement for unity and inclusiveness in sport and in life,” she added.
Nita Ambani poses with Manu Bhaker, Neeraj Chopra
Nita Ambani, resplendent in a red saree, posed with Olympic medalists Manu Bhaker and Neeraj Chopra, and Paralympic medalists Navdeep Singh and Mona Agarwal at the United in Triumph event. She introduced the champion athletes as “Bharat ki Shaan” (Pride of the country),” before requesting assembled photographers to applaud for them.
Several other Olympians and Paralympians attended the event, including Murlikant Petkar (India’s first-ever Paralympic Gold medalist), Devendra Jhajharia (the first Indian to win two Paralympic Golds and President of the Paralympic Committee of India), along with Sumit Antil, Nitesh Kumar, Harvinder Singh, Dharambir Nain, Navdeep Singh, and Praveen Kumar joined the Ambanis at their sprawling Mumbai residence on Sunday evening.
Star athletes like Sania Mirza, Karnam Malleswari and Pullela Gopichand were also present during the evening. Bollywood was represented by Ranveer Singh and Kartik Aryan, who played the role of Murlikant Petkar in Chandu Champion.
Ambani family poses with the champions
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani and other members of the billionaire Ambani family were present at Antilia to play host. Several athletes shared photos online after the event.
Badminton player Tanisha Crasto shared a picture on Instagram Stories that shows her posing with Radhika Merchant, while Anant and Akash Ambani were seen in photographs shared by Harshith Lakshman.
Radhika Merchant is the wife of Mukesh and Nita Ambani’s younger son, Anant Ambani. For the United in Triumph event, she chose a long dress and wore her hair down.