Tokyo Olympics 2020 | Mirabai Chanu has her pizza, and eats it too!

“Domino’s reached out to us. They wanted an endorsement from Mirabai’s side too. And it all happened in an organic way,” says Neerav Tomar, CEO and managing director, IOS sports, the sports management firm that looks after Chanu’s commercial interests.

Industry insiders say that the deal, pegged at Rs25-30 lakh, involves a couple of social media posts by Chanu, and isn’t a long-term association. That begs the question: for a company that makes yearly profits in the range of Rs200-300 crore has it short-changed an Olympic star?

“We are just happy to get some commercial benefit for our athlete. We could have also ended up with nothing. After all, we can’t dictate what brands post on social media, and how it benefits them,” explains Tomar.

Apart from the financial benefits, there are also intangible gains to have come out of this association. While Domino’s garnered a lot of PR for this marketing move, it also resulted in Chanu’s photo transitioning from sport pages to the lifestyle sections of newspapers and websites.

On the other hand, it also gave rise to the question of morality: how does a professional athlete endorse a fast-food brand—something not in line with his/her lifestyle—and in-turn encourage people to consume it?

On closer inspection, the moral argument shows more holes than Swiss cheese. Because a) not all brand ambassadors consume the products they endorse, and b) not all sports stars are privileged enough to have a line of sponsors chasing them— a la Cristiano Ronaldo and Virat Kohli— that they can turn down the ones they don't subscribe to.

Also read: Cristiano Ronaldo and athlete activism: Where do you draw the line?

“Tomorrow if we get a Pepsi or a Coca-Cola deal, we will grab it. We know how hard this market is and our Olympic stars deserve to be financially rewarded. So whether it is a cola brand, a fast food or any other FMCG, we will consider most options,” confirms Tomar.

Then, there’s also the once-in-four-years factor. Unlike other, more popular sports like cricket and football that are on your TV screen all through the year, Olympic athletes are quickly forgotten after their events. This lack of TV exposure is a major reason why brands don’t find value in joining the Olympic bandwagon.

MC Mary Kom is a great example. While her status as a boxing legend was never in doubt, it was really the Bollywood film based on her that made her a household name in India.

Is something similar on the cards for fellow Manipuri, Chanu?

“I’ve had a few casual queries from friends in the film industry, but nothing that’s concrete or worth talking about as yet,” says Tomar.

If ever the Mirabai Chanu biopic does get made, the actor playing the weightlifter would have the unenviable task of mimicking her million-dollar smile. For the moment, she can begin by practicing saying ‘cheese’.