For Paris with love: Olympic medalists in demand as brands make a beeline with higher spends

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Brandwagon rolls in

Athletes see calls pouring in from brands ahead of the Paris Olympics. “Before Tokyo, we used to get one or two queries. Now, we are getting 50-60,” said Rahul Trehan, chief operating officer at IOS. After the IPL, brands have zeroed in on the Olympics and the athletes, he added.

Boxer Lovlina Borgohain, who had bagged a bronze at the Tokyo games, and weightlifter Saikhom Chanu Mirabai, who won a silver, have been in demand.

"After the Tokyo Olympics, we had signed Domino's and MV (apparel brand), and a global deal with Adidas for Chanu in addition to deals with RBL Bank and Amrutanjan. For Borgohain, leading up to the Paris Olympics we have signed up with Bisleri and Britannia and a global brand yet to be announced. We have signed up a jewellery brand and there are three-four deals that are yet to be announced, including that with a ceramic tiles brand and an energy drink,” said Trehan.

The number of sponsors and endorsements, as well as digital rates have doubled for athletes. The rate for creating a reel (short video) ranges between Rs 2 lakh and Rs 6 lakh, with the likes of Chanu charging Rs 5.5-6 lakh.

Hockey players Manpreet Singh and Harmanpreet Singh charge Rs 2 lakh. "We have signed a couple of deals for them. Medal winners are quite in demand because they are contending for another medal. There is demand for new athletes like javelin thrower Kishore Jena, who won silver in the last Asian Games. We have signed him up with Limca and Puma," Trehan said.

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Table tennis ace Manika Batra, who defeated world No 2 and former world champion Wang Manyu of China at the Saudi Smash 2024 earlier this month, is highly sought after for TV shows. “We are flooded with queries for Batra,” he said. "She commands Rs 3.5 lakh."

Beyond cricket

IOS Sports and Entertainment’s Tomar pointed out that until five years ago, there was no regular sponsorship market for non-cricket athletes. “Today, we are getting interest as well as business on a daily basis. And there is a market for smaller players as well,” he said. He added that 11-12 brands have partnered with the IOA ahead of the Paris Olympics, which is a 50 percent jump from the Tokyo edition.

According to industry estimates, the IOA has clocked Rs 50 crore in sponsorship revenue for the upcoming games, which is an over 100 percent surge from the Tokyo Olympics, where Covid had trimmed it smaller. This time, they are in the range of Rs 8-10 crore for premium deals.

"Our main sponsors are Reliance, JSW and Adani. YES Bank and Aditya Birla Capital have also come on board. These are new entrants. There are quite a few with whom we have closed the deal but they are yet to announce. The number of sponsors is much higher than for the Japan games,” Tomar said.

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Digital deals are very much in demand, he said. “There is huge traction for digital deals because brands want to cash in on the Olympic buzz. They want to catch consumers’ attention through this medium. Marketing budgets have increased significantly for the digital medium, so you will see a plethora of brands with non-cricket players.”

That the sponsorship market for non-cricket sports is growing is clear from the fact that the Athletics Federation of India has signed a five-year deal with sportswear brand Puma, which industry estimates indicate is worth crores.

On the performance front, Trehan bets big on Borgohain as she has raised her weight category from 69 kg in Tokyo to 75 kg. “After changing the weight category, she became World Champion in India last year and the only Indian boxer to win a silver medal at the 2023 Asian Games,” he said.

"Batra is contesting for a second medal. The kind of form she is in with her beating players 7-8 ranks higher in the last five months makes her a strong contender. In hockey, we hope the team does even better."

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Old is gold

The Paris Olympics have been generating brand interest both for athletes competing at the games as well as former athletes and Olympic medalists.
"For these Olympics, we have seen one change. A lot of brands that have partnered with the Indian Olympic Association are using former Olympic medal winners like Saina Nehwal (bronze), Mary Kom (bronze), Gagan Narang (bronze) and Abhinav Bindra (gold) to promote their TV commercials, along with former athletes like Geeta Phogat and Anju Bobby George. So, former athletes are also in demand for brand activations for the Paris Olympics. This we have not seen before," said Trehan.