MUMBAI: Nike brought together 2200 women who came to celebrate the power of sport in India and Make the World Listen through a sports festival that culminated into a 3km run. These women took over the streets of Mumbai and broke barriers of judgement, expressed themselves with movement and sport, driving positive change in their communities. This event was supported by the presence of some of India’s most celebrated athletes such as Joshna Chinappa and Sunil Chhetri.

The sports festival also saw musical performances by Anushka Manchanda, Siri Narayan, and Sandunes that offered a perfect ambience for women to shed inhibitions, be confident and unleash their full potential. Football, cricket, an obstacle course and power training were some of the activities that got the women to move and challenge themselves with onsite education and awareness of the sports bra; its crucial role in enabling comfort, support and confidence as a woman does sport. With that, the sheer number of women who donned their sports bra as they took part in the activities and 3KM run formed a sizeable community during the event, acknowledging its significance.

Nike's Make the World Listen campaign started taking shape even before its experiential launch in March, when a collective group of bold women ran the Mumbai Marathon with empowerment messages printed on their sports bras as they set out to overcome judgement they faced and make a stand. It not only introduced the thought of empowered choices but also enabled women to drive change within themselves and amongst their communities through sport.

The campaign momentum continued for over five weeks in Mumbai with Nike providing women complimentary access to a variety of sports and fitness activities at 13 locations across the city. The women of Mumbai took the opportunity to train with some of Nike’s best trainers, coaches, and athletes at Nike Training Club (NTC) and Nike Run Club (NRC) sessions. They were also given access to different sports and activities like Football, Cricket, Zumba, Kickboxing, Dancing, Running and Yoga, catering to their diverse preferences to get moving.

Throughout this campaign, Nike has combined innovation and inspiration to fuel this movement of change for women. The sports bra is acknowledged as an essential, functional gear for women to do sports. It also helps women to feel confident while working out and ignite the sense of empowerment and self-expression. Additionally, the movement amplified voices, sentiments and participation of bold, active role models who have smashed judgements and made great strides such as Nike athletes Harmanpreet Kaur, MR Poovamma and Deepika Kumari; alongside Tanya Agarwal, Nikita Seth, Mihira Appnender, Shaleena Nathani, Mishti Khatri, Urmi Kothari and Juhi Godambe.

Nike India Pvt Ltd marketing head Keerthana Ramakrishnan said, “Through the complimentary sessions we wanted to give women and girls the opportunity to realize their full potential – on the field – and in life and the participation was overwhelming. We are glad to lead this change through sport. We are truly encouraged by the success of this campaign where thousands of women have successfully taken the first step towards sport and have built a powerful community supporting each other to #MakeTheWorldListen.”