MUMBAI: Bhavani Devi, India’s No. 1 sabre fencer, has signed a multi-year contract with Mumbai based sports management company Meraki Sport & Entertainment.
The announcement comes at the back of Bhavani’s Gold medal at the 28th Senior National Fencing Championship 2017 held in Solapur, Maharashtra.
The win capped a successful year for Bhavani, a year in which the Tamil Nadu born sabreuse became the first Indian fencer to win Gold at the Women’s World Cup Satellite Tournament held in Iceland.
Bhavani is the latest addition to the Meraki stable that already consists of tennis ace Rohan Bopanna, gymnast Dipa Karmakar and Khel Ratna recipient Devendra Jhajharia.
Namrata Parekh – co-founder & director, Meraki Sport & Entertainment said, “The signing of India’s No.1 fencer – Bhavani Devi, adds yet another promising athlete to Meraki’s burgeoning talent representation arm. Bhavani, who we believe will be a stand-out performer in Tokyo 2020, will change the face of fencing the same way Dipa has for gymnastics in India. She has made huge strides in the world of fencing in the last few years, efforts which have made her the only Indian to win a major International fencing event. While quite a few brands have expressed their interest to associate with Bhavani, we are in advance discussions with a leading FMCG brand for an association going into Tokyo 2020.”
Bhavani’s next major competitive commitments will see her compete at the Asian Games in August and Commonwealth Fencing in November.
Bhavani said, “It gives me immense pleasure to be a part of Meraki Sport & Entertainment. Meraki’s core belief in creating a sponsor ecosystem around non-cricket sport in India is a huge spur for athletes like me more so considering the sport of fencing is still very niche. I look forward to this association.”
