WATCH: Sakshi Malik, Neeraj Chopra and other stars talk about power of sports on Olympic Day

Top Indian athletes joined forces in spreading the message of the power of sport in overcoming hurdles in life by featuring in a video on the occasion of Olympic Day. The athletes featured in a video presented by the Inspire Institute of Sport on Tuesday, 23 June. Among the athletes featuring in the video were top wrestlers Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, javelin throwers Neeraj Chopra and Annu Rani, boxers Vikas Krishan Yadav and Manisha Moun, high jumper Tejaswin Shankar and triple jumper Arpinder Singh.

The focus of the video was the resilience of athletes in the face of adversity, with the world currently gripped with the COVID-19 pandemic that affected not only the world of sport but resulted in nationwide lockdowns in many countries. Among the major sporting events affected by the pandemic are the Tokyo Olympics, which has now been shifted to 2021. “The driving force behind everything we do at IIS is to nurture and holistically develop athletes, allowing them to fulfill their potential and become effective contributing members of society. “A key life lesson that sport teaches us is to never give up and find ways to overcome any obstacles that come our way. “This is as relevant as ever today and we are happy to showcase this resilience through our athletes, who are the best ambassadors of what we stand for,” said CEO of IIS Rushdee Warley. The OIympic Day is celebrated every year to commemorate the formation of the International Olympic Committee in Paris on 23 June, 1894, although it was only in 1948 that the celebration of the occasion finally began.