Corporate India should support ground-level sportspersons
Corporate India should support ground-level sportspersons: Neeraj Chopra, a champion athlete who won a gold medal at the Olympics, believes that corporations in India should fund amateur athletes on the same level that they support professional athletes.
The champion javelin thrower, 24 years old, is also pleased by the increased support and attention that sports have recently received.
When the Indian Army team member won his first Olympic gold in the Tokyo track and field competition in 2020, he captivated the attention of one billion viewers worldwide. Since then, Chopra has progressed to the point that she won a silver medal in the javelin throw competition at the World Championships in 2022.
He believes that it is positive that the top athletes are receiving help from corporations in preparation for the forthcoming Olympic Games in Paris, which are set to take place in 2024. “As you can see, the more help athletes receive, the better.” On the other hand, I believe that in addition to the athletes competing at the national or international level, we should also give some thought to the athletes competing at the novice and ground level. This would also support those athletes competing at the highest level. According to Chopra, “if assistance is given to athletes of all different kinds, then our nation will be able to make significant progress in sports.”
“The Olympic Games [to be held in Tokyo in 2020] have piqued the interest of Indians in these kinds of sports. The performance of our competitors at the most recent Olympics, as well as at the Para-Olympics and the Commonwealth Games, which just came to a close [in Birmingham], was quite impressive. Not only the [gold] medal I won, but also improvements made by all of India’s athletes, have contributed to India’s success at the Olympic Games,” he added.
Chopra notes that the improvement in India’s athletic success has had a domino effect on the country’s performance in other sports, despite the fact that India’s record in cricket over the years has been quite impressive.
Statements
“However, the fact that we are succeeding in some of our other sports is currently helping these sports. The Olympian stated this while speaking on the sidelines of a competition: “The other sports are now getting the respect and attention they deserve.”
Coca-Cola India, a prominent player in the beverage industry, has recruited Chopra to serve as the face of its newest product, Limca Sportz, an energising drink that falls into the category of sports hydration. This is due to Chopra’s popularity among young people and aspiring athletes.
According to Arnab Roy, vice president and head of marketing at Coca-Cola India and Southwest Asia, the business intends to use the Limca brand in sports, which is the oldest brand in its India portfolio. Limca is the company’s head of marketing in India and Southwest Asia. In addition to making it the Title Sponsor for the 2017 ICC Twenty20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia, Coca-Cola wants to keep it in the spotlight throughout the FIFA Under-17 Women’s World Cup, should that tournament be held in India.