Nita Ambani inaugurates India House, a first for the country at the Olympics

PARIS (AP) — Fresh off the year’s most extravagant wedding, Nita Ambani inaugurated the India House for the Paris Olympics on Saturday.

The first of its kind at an Olympic Games for India, the temporary house is meant to promote Indian culture as the country aspires to host the 2036 Games. The endeavor was born from the partnership between the Indian Olympic Association and the Reliance Foundation, which Ambani founded and chairs.

“Today we gather here at the Paris Olympic Games 2024 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 shared dream to bring the Olympics to India,” Ambani, an International Olympic Committee member, said in her address.

India House is one of several hospitality houses that spring up around the Games, affiliated with participating countries or brands. This is a smattering of what’s on offer from Saturday through Aug. 11, 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 tattooing and Bollywood dance

— A lounge for athletes

— Food, of course, which ranges from biryani and mutton curry to curd rice and several 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 entire world. The world is here today. And India House unites the world.”

Infantino was there to encourage the development of soccer in India, whose men’s team ranks 124th and women’s team 67th in their respective FIFA standings.

“In India, football is fantastic,” he said. “Together, we make it grow even more.