MUMBAI: The JSW Group ramped up its efforts to galvanize the state of sports in India by declaring its partnership on Thursday with the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) targeting success in the Olympics 2020 and 2024 Games.
JSW’s involvement with shooting is its sixth with an Olympic sport after Boxing, Judo, Wrestling, Athletics and Swimming. The Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), the company’s High Performance Training Centre in Vijaynagar, will be provided for uplifting coaching standards to shooters.
However, while the facilities will be of international standard, the NRAI feels that this partnership will help the federation become ‘self-sustaining’ by not just training shooters, but also developing Indian coaches. With this, the need for overseas help will gradually reduce, who are heavily paid for their expertise in sports science and nutrition amongst many skills otherwise.
With the agreement lasting till Paris 2024, JSW Sport will be granting Rs. 10 million per year to NRAI as well, IIS head of talent scouting Manisha Malhotra revealed.
NRAI President Raninder Singh said that the development is expected to reduce the federation’s struggles for acquiring financial help as the Sports Authority of India (SAI) has earmarked Rs. 300 million per year for them, in a deal which only encompasses expenses in lieu rather than revenues for growing the sport.
Lauding JSW’s initiative, Singh said that a committee will be formed soon which will the final authority on decisions such as player and coaches management, sponsorships, partnerships, negotiations with government bodies and so on.
He ruled out the possibility of a conflict of interest in individual shooters bagging their own sponsorships or funding as the collective thought is to advance the careers of many prospective shooters and not just a few of them.
The timing of the partnership has come when India is amongst the top 3 nations in the sport across rifle, pistol and shotgun. At the ISSF World Cup 2018 in June, the NRAI had raised Rs. 165 million in sponsorship.
Singh concluded that there is tremendous scope amongst children aged 14-19 to excel in the sport despite the average age of participation being 21 at present.
