Airbnb, IPC and IOC announce Summer Festival of Online Experiences

Bookings for the five-day event will open on 22 July 16 Jul 2020
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Lex Gillette
STAY TUNED: US Para athlete Lex Gillette will be sharing his experiences as a part of the festival.
ⒸPRNewsfoto/Airbnb, Inc
By Airbnb

With the Paralympic and Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 postponed until 2021, Airbnb, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will bring the spirit of the Paralympics and Olympics online with a curated programme of activities hosted by athletes.

Bookings for the five-day event will open on 22 July, with more than 100 Paralympian and Olympian Online Experiences offered by Lex Gillette, Tatyana McFadden, Stephen Miller, Naomi Osaka, Yusra Mardini, Rui Hachimura, Allyson Felix and others.

Fans who book will proudly support their heroes ahead of Tokyo 2020, as proceeds will provide valuable income to athlete hosts, now and beyond the festival, including some who are on the road to their Paralympic and Olympic dreams while also sharing their passion for the Paralympic and Olympic Games and their sport with guests..

The festival of Paralympian and Olympian Online Experiences will kick off with an opening act on 24 July, when the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were originally scheduled to begin.

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“At a time when it is difficult for people to gather and celebrate the exceptional performance of athletes, Airbnb is proud to host the summer festival which is a new way to experience the Paralympic and Olympic spirit online. Guests will be able to connect and interact with some of the most elite competitors within the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, giving them even more reasons to cheer them on next year,” said Airbnb Co-Founder Joe Gebbia.

Throughout the five days of programming across multiple time zones, the lineup will showcase a variety of interactive Online Experiences that guests can book on Airbnb from 22 July. Spectators can also watch select Online Experiences live or on replay on Airbnb, Paralympic and Olympic YouTube channels.

While many hosts will continue to offer their activities after the event ends, like the positive thinking with Paralympic hero Stephen Miller (athletics, Great Britain).

“Paralympians and Para athletes are masters of innovation and finding creative solutions to daily challenges they face,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons. “The summer festival of Olympian and Paralympian Online Experiences celebrates this tenacity and gives Para athletes a platform to share their stories to empower others, while also offering a new earning opportunity especially needed during these difficult times.”

For more information on the summer festival line-up, visit airbnb.com/festival. If fans miss the chance to participate in the five-day event, many athletes will continue to host their Experiences - both online and in-person in countries where it's safe and permissible to do so - with even more that will be added to Airbnb in the coming months and years. Olympic and Paralympic athletes who are interested in sharing their passions with guests to earn supplemental income can learn more and sign up to become a host here.