Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) on July 14 announced a long-term partnership with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) to enable the holistic growth of athletics in India.
“The partnership aims to discover, nurture and develop Indian athletes from across the country and provide them with world-class facilities, coaching and sports science and medicine support by leveraging the Reliance Foundation ecosystem including the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Center and Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital," RIL said in its release.
It added: “In line with the larger vision of the organisation, this partnership will have a special focus on girl athletes and aim to bridge the gender divide and enable them to achieve their dreams.”
As AFI’s principal partner, the Reliance brand will appear across the national teams’ jerseys and training kits at key national and international competitions and training camps.
Speaking about the partnership, Nita M Ambani, IOC Member, and Director, Reliance Industries Ltd, said: “We are delighted to expand Reliance Foundation’s partnership with the Athletics Federation of India. Athletics is one of the most popular disciplines in global sport, and this association aims to accelerate the growth of Indian athletics by providing opportunities and world-class facilities to our young talent, with a special focus on girls. With access to the right infrastructure, training, and support, I’m sure we will see many more of our young athletes on victory stands around the world! This partnership is also an important step towards our dream of strengthening the Olympic Movement in India.”
Adille Sumariwalla, President, Athletics Federation of India, said: “We are very thankful to Mrs Nita Ambani and Reliance Industries, with whom AFI has been working with closely over the last few years, for their support as Principal Partner. We have seen our athletics contingent grow at international events, and with a committed partner in Reliance Industries, we are very sure that, soon, we will see an increase in participation and international success across multiple disciplines. The partnership will focus on holistic development, building a strong talent pool and potential medal winners who will make India proud in the years to come.”
Notably, since 2017, Reliance Foundation has invested in the development of athletics through the Reliance Foundation Youth Sports program, reaching more than 5,500 educational institutes in over 50 districts across India. In 2018, it set up the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics HPC.
Further, the Reliance Foundation has for long been supporting the AFI with “sports science and medicine support, with physiotherapists from Reliance Foundation accompanying the Indian contingent to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics”.
(Disclaimer: Moneycontrol is a part of the Network18 group. Network18 is controlled by Independent Media Trust, of which Reliance Industries is the sole beneficiary.)
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