With about half a year to go for the Olympics, India is on the cusp of achieving something great. With preparations in full swing, India awaits glory. The sports community is all prepped because of ‘Khelo India’ and buzzing with anticipation. A chain reaction has already begun and we are just waiting for a catalyst. Here’s looking forward to India’s campaign. Will this be the turning point for Indian sports?

With a resounding success at the Hangzhou Asian Games, the entire nation is rightly hopeful. India had a tremendous haul of 107 medals at the event with 28 golds, 38 silvers and 41 bronzes. Our 660-strong stellar contingent fetched 37 more medals than the 2018 Jakarta Games. Shooting and archery stood out with record hauls in these events. With a fourth-place finish, which is India’s best in many years, Indian athletes and coaches are as excited as the viewers awaiting a fantastic performance.

While a medal can never be guaranteed, Indian javelin champ Neeraj Chopra says that his preparations are in full swing and he is hoping for the best. The Indian hockey team coach is definitely nervous but quite reassured after the Indian team’s amazing performance at the 19^th Asian Games and the Asian Champions Trophy. Our badminton ace PV Sindhu is hopeful that the expected success in Paris will spur the investment of time and money in developing world-class training facilities for all sports in India. That is one of the biggest obstacles faced by Indian athletes. Another fantastic thing to see is that we see exponentially more women athletes participating in the event.

That being said, sports philanthropy has increased from 1% to 28% between FY14 and FY21. Also, the sports revenue in India grew by 49% in 2022. These numbers are astonishing and go on to say that we are definitely taking positive steps in enabling our sportspersons and athletes to achieve their dreams.

All the above-mentioned points suggest that the wheels have been set in motion and the country is taking all the necessary steps to succeed. Like how a sportsperson has to warm up to play their best game, we are all warmed up and geared for success. There is a wind of change and we see a cultural shift in the country. This mindset shift has come because of government schemes and the roaring success achieved by Indian athletes who have now become mascots for the game and inspirations for the youth. We are on the precipice of achieving exemplary success and even if we don’t live up to the expectations, we are definitely setting new benchmarks for the youth to aspire to.

At Union Sport, we are proud of playing our part in this new wave. We are the bridge between athletes and sponsors, driven to enable them to achieve their goals and ambitions. With an athlete-centric approach, we have a mission to create a healthy community where every athlete can grow equitably and discover new opportunities. We have a vision of making a positive impact on the sporting world and we are driven by the values of transparency, efficacy and integrity. Check out our website to see how we do what we do and be a part of this amazing community.