The sports ecosystem in India has taken off and is at an all-time high, said Shri Amitabh Kant, CEO, Niti Aayog at the Third Annual General Meeting of Sportscom, held on 25th August 2021. We just witnessed the best performance in 40 years at the Olympics and this is just the beginning of a very successful future, opined Shri Kant.
He urged the members of the Sportscom to forge strong collaborations with the Government to create a strong business ecosystem for the sports sector. A key aspect of this would be an increased impetus to create a strong manufacturing hub for sports products and increase India’s exports of sports related goods.
Shri Kant emphasized on building a robust partnership with the Industry to create a thriving sports ecosystem, for which he identified some areas. These include - the need to optimally utilize sports stadiums that have been built with world class infrastructure, so that they are economically viable; directing CSR funds for developing sports in India; creating an Industry driven programme that involves everyone, especially the youth to enhance the outlook towards sports; promoting sports that have not yet reached the full potential. He urged the Industry to seize the opportunity on all these fronts.
Mr Jalaj Dani, President, Sportscom and Co-Promoter, Asian Paints highlighted that the recent success of India at Olympics, pushing the country past the previous highest medal tally, is a great achievement. He lauded the efforts of the Government for the tremendous support extended to all the athletes for their training, logistics, equipment etc. Despite the odds induced by the pandemic, the Indian athletes produced a show to remember in the 16 days of Tokyo Olympics, winning the country a total of seven medals, said Mr Dani.
He mentioned that Sportscom is currently working on the issues and challenges facing the sports sector, including - Reverse Charge Mechanism; making India a net exporter of sports goods and services; international certifications cost and approval fee of sports goods; Drug Free Supplement Policy; CSR; benefits of getting industry status; PPP in sports infrastructure.
Mr Udit Sheth, Secretary, Sportscom and Founder & MD, SE TransStadia welcomed Shri Kant and said that he looked forward to his dynamic leadership in strengthening the sports landscape of India.
Mr Vivek Singh, Sr. Vice – President, Sportscom and Joint Managing Director, Procam International emphasized upon the need for creating an inclusive agenda and forging a strong partnership with Niti Aayog, under the leadership of Shri Kant for establishing a leadership role for India in the area of sports.
25 August 2021