New Delhi, India

President Droupadi Murmu and Olympic medalist Saina Nehwal played a friendly match at the Rashtrapati Bhavan's Badminton Court in New Delhi on July 10. 

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A video of the President and Nehwal playing was posted on the President of India's official Instagram account. The event was aimed to inspire children to engage in sports activities for a healthy lifestyle.

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President's tweet expressed her love for sports and games. The post read, "The President’s inspiring step is in keeping with India’s emergence as a badminton-power house, with women-players making a great impact on the world stage."

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The Twitter post also stated that Saina Nehwal will talk and interact with the audience at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre on July 11 as part of the lecture series titled 'Her Story - My Story'. The series features women who were honoured with the Padma Award. The post mentions Saina Nehwal as "an iconic Indian sportperson".

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Saina Nehwal also expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play with the President. In her social media post, she wrote, "Honoured to play with President of India .. what a memorable day of my life. Thank you so much President mam for playing badminton with me."

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Achievements of Saina Nehwal

Saina Nehwal, the 33-year-old champion, is one of the most celebrated sportspersons in India. In 2016, she was conferred the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian award.

Nehwal has achieved exceptional recognition internationally and is the first Indian badminton player to win a bronze at the 2012 London Olympics. She also obtained a silver medal at the Indonesia World Championships in 2015. She has secured numerous Commonwealth Games medals including gold in Women's Singles in 2010 and Mixed Team in 2018 tournaments.

(With inputs from agencies)