To bring the spirit of Tokyo 2020 closer to home, Airbnb, International Olympic Committee (IOC) and International Paralympic Committee (IPC) have announced a specially curated programme featuring more than 200 Olympian and Paralympian online experiences, on Airbnb platform.
Hosted by both competing and retired sporting heroes, these one-of-a-kind experiences allow athletes to share their passion with guests who can connect with them directly during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Online experiences available include Olympic Life Lessons with Shiva Keshavan, a six-time Olympian and four-time Asian Champion in Luge; Basketball with Scottie Pippen, Larry Bird and Patrick Ewing; Redefining Resilience with Yusra Mardini, a Syria-born Olympic swimmer, will share an open dialogue with guests about her fascinating journey to the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. Other highlights include Don’t Freak Out with Jonnie Peacock, a two-time Paralympic Champion who will share stories, show medals and the petal from the London 2012 Paralympic flame, and answer questions about himself and his life as an athlete.
The interactive online activities are available for bookings on Airbnb. These include sharing their journeys from Survive and Thrive with Asif Sultani to Daring to Dream with Ibrahim Al Hussein to workout classes with Ehsan Naghibzadeh.
To view the full lineup, visit airbnb.com/olympics
Commenting on the news, Catherine Powell, Airbnb global head of hosting said:
“With spectatorship looking different this year, audiences are searching for new ways to support Olympians and Paralympians during Tokyo 2020. Airbnb is all about creating unique experiences that connect people, and Olympian and Paralympian online experiences allow fans to feel closer to their heroes than ever before.
“These interactive activities will provide an intimate window into the Games, all made possible by the 200+ athletes joining our Hosting community this summer.”
Elaborating more on these experiences, Kaveh Mehrabi, director of the athletes’ department at the IOC said:
“As international fans around the world won’t be able to experience the thrill of the Olympic Games in Tokyo, we wanted to create a unique alternative to bring together athletes and fans while keeping the same sense of discovery and exclusivity.
“Against this backdrop, the Olympian and Paralympian experiences platform is a fantastic opportunity for athletes to build a personal relationship with their fanbase and feel their support, while the platform will also bring the incredible Olympic spirit to people across the globe. As part of our effort to empower athletes at all stages of their career, the positive response to the past year’s activities has indeed confirmed that offering athletes the possibility to host such experiences presents them with new life-changing opportunities.”
Andrew Parsons, IPC president said:
“When the Games in Tokyo were postponed last year Airbnb excelled themselves. The creation of the Olympic and Paralympic Online Experiences platform allowed many Para athletes to not only share their passions with people all over the world but also provided them with a valuable income stream in the absence of competition.
“Now the most important Paralympic Games in history are upon us and I’m thrilled to see so many Para athletes on the Airbnb Experiences platform, not least the amazing athletes of our Refugee Paralympic Team. I would encourage people to grab this rare opportunity to view the Games up close and personal with the stars of the show.”
