Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra has become the second Indian to have won a gold medal in Olympics in individual events.
And this is making many brands take note of him.
The sports arm of JSW Group, JSW Sports that manages the portfolio of Chopra, is already seeing many brands approaching them to associate with the athlete.
"We are seeing a lot of interest from brands. In fact, there was a lot of interest after he qualified for the finals. We were waiting for the finals to see how it goes. We will start activating conversations tomorrow," Mustafa Ghouse, CEO, JSW Sports, told Moneycontrol.
He added that brand interest is diverse.
"Whole host of categories are showing interest. Pretty much his entire portfolio is open. We have a lot of options to work with right now."
For Chopra who is a brand ambassador of Gillette, ExxonMobil, Muscle Blaze, JSW Sports is focusing more on endorsement deals.
While it will be both endorsement and digital activation, the first focus is endorsements, said Ghouse.
"As that's long term we would like to see brands take that up. And there will be some digital led deals too."
In addition, Ghouse expects to see price correction in Chopra's endorsement fees.
It is estimated that Chopra's endorsement fees was in the range of Rs 20-30 lakh per year which will now see a 1000 percent increase.
Currently, all endorsement deals are being negotiated upwards of Rs 2.5 crore per year
"He will be able to command better fees. It's the first gold medal in track and field in 100 years. The kind of people that are posting and commenting about javelin and track and field it is way more than we have ever seen," said Ghouse.
There is no denying that Chopra's gold in the Tokyo Olympics got everyone's attention.
Brands not only congratulated the athlete but also offered many rewards to Chopra.
IndiGo airlines announced that it will offer unlimited free travel to ‘Gold Medallist’ Neeraj Chopra for a period of one year.
ITC's stationery brand Classmate took to Twitter to congratulate Chopra.
"Congratulations Neeraj Chopra on your perfect throw. Classmate celebrates your victory and hopes that your historic win inspires millions of Indians to dream big and enjoy learning various sports."
Along with this, The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday announced a cash award of Rs 1 crore for Chopra.
Chennai Super Kings Cricket Ltd announced that it is awarding Rs 1 crore to Chopra.
Earlier known as GoAir, Go First has offered free travel to all medal-winners until 2025. The offer is applicable to all who won it for their country.
Industrialist Anand Mahindra took to Twitter to gift Chopra the XUV700.
Edtech major Byju's announced a cash reward of Rs 2 crore for star India javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra following his gold medal winning feat at the Tokyo Olympics.
Also, Lovely Professional University from where Chopra is pursuing his Bachelors in Arts degree will be gifting Rs 50 lakh to the Olympic champion.
These rewards don't come as a surprise as team India has given its best performance in Olympics.
India finished its Tokyo Olympics campaign with one gold, two silvers and four bronze medals.
