NASA astronauts hold their own Summer Olympics in space as games begin in Paris

Chandigarh, July 27

As the city of Paris turned into a colossal amphitheatre with the opening ceremony for the 33rd Olympic Games on Friday, NASA astronauts too joined the global celebration with their own ‘Summer Olympics’ in a way only possible in space.

In a unique and amusing video shared on X by NASA, the six astronauts currently living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are seen pretending to train for Olympic sports in the weightless environment.

The US space agency captioned the two-minute video, “Let the games begin! Athletes from across the world are gathering today to kick off the 2024 #Olympics – pushing boundaries and inspiring generations. If you were an Olympic athlete, which sport would you play?”

The fun-filled activities start with the passing of a mock Olympic torch among the crew members, including Sunita Williams, followed by a ‘training’ demonstration of their sporting skills.

Let the games begin!

Athletes from across the world are gathering today to kick off the 2024 #Olympics – pushing boundaries and inspiring generations. If you were an Olympic athlete, which sport would you play? pic.twitter.com/mnFC3vpvly

— NASA (@NASA) July 26, 2024

The astronauts highlighted unique microgravity events including gymnastics, weightlifting, running, somersaulting, and humorously drinking floating water.

The crew members used makeshift discus and a ball of duct tape for shotput as part of their creativity of space life.

In the concluding part of the video, the six astronauts paid a tribute to the athletes taking part in the Paris Olympics.

“…We, of course, had the benefits of weightlessness. We can’t imagine how hard this must be to be such a world-class athlete doing your sports under actual gravity. So from all of us aboard the International Space Station to every single athlete in the Olympic Games, Godspeed!”, they said.