Barbie to make dolls to honor Williams and star athletes

CALIFORNIA

Barbie dolls will honor tennis champion Venus Williams and eight other athletes as part of a project announced by Mattel on May 22.

The former world number one said she hoped to motivate young girls into sports with the doll.

“I literally can’t imagine my life without sports and without the game," Williams said in a video, in which she held the doll.

"I want other young girls to have that invaluable experience of playing a sport and what it teaches you and what you learn and what you take from it, not just that moment bu) for the rest of your life... I think it’s so important for girls to be in sports."

The others being depicted as dolls are gymnasts Rebeca Andrade and Alexa Moreno, soccer players Mary Fowler and Christine Sinclair, boxer Estelle Mossely, swimmer Federica Pellegrini, paratriathlete Susana Rodriguez and track and field sprinter Ewa Swoboda.

The dolls, unveiled as Barbie turns 65 this year, "[recognize] the impact of sport in fostering self-confidence and ambition among the next generation," Krista Berger, senior vice president of Barbie and Mattel’s Global Head of Dolls, said.

“By shining a light on these inspirational athletes and their stories, we hope to champion the belief that every young girl deserves the opportunity to pursue her passions and turn her dreams into reality," she said in a statement.