Just a week ago, it seemed like there was nowhere else Olympia Ohanian would rather be than at the Paris Olympics. After watching her mom, Serena Williams, carry the Olympic torch during the opening ceremony, the six-year-old did what every athlete was doing: collecting and trading pins! “Olympia’s Olympic credentials. She was VERY excited to get the Armenia pin,” wrote Alexis Ohanian, sharing a picture of his daughter’s pins. But fast forward to a week later, and The Tales of Olympia at the Olympics saw an intermission.

If you’ve been keeping up with the trysts of the Williams-Ohanian household, you would know just how much they love supporting athletes all around the world. But for Ohanian, there’s one thing that takes priority over all else: his family. And that’s precisely the priority he took care of on the first day of track and field events at the 2024 Olympics.

The Reddit co-founder shared a video on Instagram to make a lucrative announcement for female athletes in Paris. But instead of being inside the Stade de France while disclosing the details, he was in ‘The Happiest Place on Earth.’ In the video, he said, “Alright. Today is the start of the Olympic track and field [events]. Now, I am actually at Disneyland Paris right now because I promised my girls.” This may have meant that the ‘Business Dad’ would likely not make it to the Games on Friday, but he shared his desire to multitask: “I will be catching some of that later on. So, don’t you worry.”

Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time Ohanian took his girls to Disneyland. Back in 2019, the then family of three visited Disneyland in California, where Serena Williams sported sparkly mouse ears, and Olympia carried a Mickey Mouse balloon. The three of them even took a ride on the Storybook Land Canal Boats, which Olympia seemed to have enjoyed. Following that trip, they visited the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida in 2021. Ohanian posted a picture holding his daughter as the father-daughter duo watched fireworks light up the sky. He captioned it, “Happiness!” 

Coming back to the family’s trip to Paris and the Olympics. While he may not have been at the Stade de France, he sure made it a point to extend his wishes to an athlete he recently backed – Veronica Fraley, who competes in the discus throw. Ohanian said, “Veronica, we are gonna be cheering for you. Get out there, throw that disc, be great.” For the unversed, Ohanian recently teamed up with Flavor Flav to help Fraley pay her rent after she revealed the challenges she was facing.

“I compete in the Olympic Games TOMORROW and can’t even pay my rent,” Fraley wrote on X on August 1. “My school only sent about 75% of my rent while they pay football players (who haven’t won anything) enough to buy new cars and houses.” Her post caught Flav’s eye, who replied, “I gotchu… DM me and I’ll send payment TODAY so you don’t have to worry bout it TOMORROW… and imma be rooting for ya tomorrow LETZ GO!!!” When Alexis Ohanian saw the exchange, he added, “C’mon now! I’ll split it with [Flav].”

Ohanian is on a mission to cultivate the next generation of track and field stars. His venture, ATHLOS NYC, formerly known as the 776 Invitational, launched in July and has already made waves with high-profile signings. This women-only competition, featuring sprints, hurdles, and middle-distance events, aims to redefine track and field. In the same clip, Ohanian announced that if any of the 36 female athletes who are part of the ATHLOS NYC brand win a gold medal at the Paris Olympics, he would reward them with $60,000.

In an exclusive interview ahead of the Paris Olympics, Ohanian shared his vision for track and field, its commercial potential, and his aspirations to inspire a new wave of track fans. More importantly, his athletics roots.

Ohanian shared his childhood memories of track and field events

Ohanian’s upbringing was steeped in the world of American football. Tennis was a sport largely ignored during his youth, often watched only while channel surfing. While he casually followed basketball and baseball, his primary sporting focus was absent. This background brought a fresh perspective to his involvement in other sports.

Free from the preconceptions of traditional approaches, Ohanian approaches each new sporting endeavor with an open mind. His admiration for athletes like Alex Morgan, Tiger Woods, and track stars is evident, and he is eager to learn from their experiences. The father of two revealed how he realized the importance of women athletes and his hopes for ATHLOS.

“I watched my first track meet in Eugene (US Olympic Trials), and I felt so much love from these women. They were kind and supportive and felt seen, based on our idea,” he said. “We’re looking for those adopters to be leaning in and thinking that this is dope. We want them to feel that they can be a part of it. We want folks to come away from three hours at ATHLOS and think, ‘That was as much fun as any other sports event I’ve been to in New York.’”

As the track and field events at the Olympics start to ramp up, it’ll be interesting to see if the Reddit co-founder will take a break from his fatherly responsibilities and attend his favorite event in Paris.