Reliance Foundation chairman and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member, Nita Ambani, on Sunday, hosted the Indian Olympic and Paralympic stars at her residence in Mumbai.
Around 140 athletes from the Olympic and Paralympic Games attended the event along with coaches and renowned personalities. The event was named 'United in Triumph'.
"It is a very special evening today. All Olympians and Paralympians are on the same platform for the first time. We are all proud of them and we are going to honour them and show them the love and respect we have for them," she said during the event.
"Today is a day of celebration. All of them are coming united together, thank you all for coming. On behalf of the Reliance Foundation, you would like and you’d wish that United in Triumph can become a movement for unity and inclusiveness in sport and in life. We are going to show that all of them are coming together and coming united together," she added.
Among the athletes who attended the event were silver medal winner Neeraj Chopra, twin bronze-medallist Manu Bhaker, member of Indian hockey bronze medal-winning team, bronze winner Sarabjot Singh alongside Paralympic gold medallist Navdeep Singh, legendary Murlikant Petkar and Deepa Malik, among others.
Ambani had also shared a letter to the athletes. "As an Indian, it is a matter of great joy and pride for me that I invite you to our home to honour the Olympic and Paralympic players of India. Your talent, perseverance and hard work have made the entire nation proud," the letter read.
Indian athletes starred in both Olympic and Paralympic Games. The contingent bagged six medals at the Olympics - one silver and five bronze. Notably, in the Paralympics, the Indian athletes brought a record-breaking 29 medals - seven gold, nine silver and 13 bronze medals. India's previous best medal haul in Paralympics was 19, in the Tokyo Games 2021.
