- The
IOC released a video celebrating progress, inclusion, and broken boundaries insports . - Directed by Oscar winners, "What Agnes Saw" centers 100-year-old Agnes Keleti and teen
Sky Brown . - The nearly two-minute film will play during the opening ceremony of the Tokyo
Olympics .
Ready to get inspired just in time for the Tokyo Olympics?
Look no further than the International Olympic Committee's latest film in its "Stronger Together" series.
Directed by Oscar winners Martin Desmond Roe and Travon Free, "What Agnes Saw" centers on 100-year-old Agnes Keleti - the oldest living Olympic medalist - as she takes in the evolution of sports throughout her lifetime, and passes the metaphorical torch to 13-year-old Sky Brown, a young Olympian representing a new generation of
Keleti was forced to put her gymnastics career on hold in 1944 - when she was 19 years old - as Nazis invaded her native Hungary. Later, she was ousted from her gym because of her Jewish faith. Despite all the setbacks, Keleti went on to collect 10 Olympic medals - including five golds, three silvers, and two bronzes - in her appearances at the 1952 Helsinki games and 1956 Melbourne games.
"Agnes's story reminds us of the true power of resilience," IOC Digital Engagement and Marketing Director Christopher Carroll said. "She is proof that you can experience the worst aspects of humanity and against all odds, rise above it. When we see the world through Agnes's eyes, we see a changing world that is better when we come together."
Since Keleti's days competing for medals, the sports world has transformed into a much more inclusive, progressive space. As UN Women Goodwill Ambassador and actor Danai Gurira narrates throughout the film, the centenarian was alive to see "the grandson of slaves redefine freedom... [and] the mother of two prove that anyone can fly."
But most important of all Keleti "saw a light - a light that helped illuminate the entire world."
"She saw generation after generation stand in that light, and watch their differences disappear like shadows in the noonday sun," Gurira says. "And now, she sees a new generation full of hope, running towards their century. A generation who sees the same light Agnes saw. A generation who knows together we're stronger than the darkness can ever be."
Roe and Free's moving film will air at the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony on Friday, July 23.
"Agnes Keleti escaped both the Nazis and the Communists and still found time to win 10 Olympic medals," Roe and Free said. "Getting to share a small part of her story on this dream project, voiced by the incredible Danai Gurira, as Agnes hands the baton to this new crop of historically remarkable athletes like Simone Biles, Naomi Osaka, and Sky Brown is an incredible honor."
"As the world slowly emerges from a terrible pandemic, we're grateful to be reminded what an incredibly deep history the Olympics has, and what a wonderful job it has done inspiring all of us to be our best," they added.
Check out an exclusive first look at the IOC's "What Agnes Saw" below: