JSW Group roped in by IOA as Performance and Lifestyle partner

The association is announced to continue until the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

The JSW Group, on Thursday, announced that JSW Inspire - its line of activewear launched in June - would be the Sports Performance and Sports Lifestyle Partner to the Indian Olympic Association through the next cycle of Commonwealth, Asian and Olympic Games. Launched at an event held at the Ashok Hotel in New Delhi and presided over by Union Minister for Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs & Sports Shri Anurag Singh Thakur and dignitaries from the IOA, the association is a landmark moment for the JSW Group and Indian sport.

Through the partnership, Team India’s contingents at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, the 2022 Asian Games scheduled to be held in Hangzhou next year and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris will be kitted in JSW Inspire apparel.

The JSW Group had previously sponsored the Indian contingent ahead of the Tokyo2020 Olympic Games and launched their Rukna Nahi Hai campaign in a bid to showcase their support for Team India.

“At JSW, we have made it our life’s mission to leave no stone unturned till India is among the top five nations at the Olympic Games when it comes to the medal tally. We founded the Inspire Institute of Sport so that we could create champions who stand on podiums while our national anthem plays over and over,” said Parth Jindal, Managing Director of JSW Cement and JSW Paints, and Founder of the Inspire Institute of Sport.

Rajeev Mehta, Secretary General of the Indian Olympic Association, said, “The JSW Group has been a major supporter of Olympic sports in India through their various initiatives, and we are excited to see them continue and build upon their partnership with the IOA over the next few years. Team India is taking great strides on the global sports stage and it is only fitting that our athletes wear a high-quality Indian brand while representing the nation globally. I would extend my gratitude to Parth and the JSW Group for their continued support to the Indian Olympic Movement.”

The JSW Group, through its sports vertical JSW Sports, has had a significant presence in Indian sports over the past decade through its various franchises (Bengaluru FC, Haryana Steelers, Delhi Capitals), partnerships with central and state sports institutions, and the Inspire Institute of Sport, a world-class high-performance facility located in Bellary.

“Sakshi Malik at Rio 2016, and Neeraj Chopra and Bajrang Punia at Tokyo 2020 are just the starts. We are driven by the idea of establishing India as a sporting superpower on the world stage, and every effort from us is a big push in that direction,” added Jindal.

Notably, 10 athletes from the IIS across four disciplines were part of the Team India contingent at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, while as many as 22 are set to be part of the Indian contingent at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham later this month.

Home to over 500 budding athletes through its flagship centre at Bellary and a network of feeder centres across India, the Inspire Institute of Sport highlighted its success at the Olympic games through Neeraj Chopra, who won India’s first-ever medal in Track and Field at the Games with Gold in the Javelin throw event. Also on the podium was IIS athlete Bajrang Punia, who won the Bronze in the Men’s 65-kg Wrestling event.

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