The ultimate goal should be to see our flag being raised up and our national anthem being played regularly at Olympics, summed up Niraj Bajaj, the only businessman recipient of Arjuna Award, at the inaugural of EMERGE:Sports Opportunities Conclave.
Organized by IMC Chamber of Commerce and Industry on March 20, IMC EMERGE will be an annual feature with objective to engage with all stakeholders in sports to develop a roadmap for an enabling ecosystem that would facilitate realization of potential that exits for India to emerge as one of the leading nations in the global sports ecosystem.
The Conclave witnessed a virtual gathering of star performers, Olympians, Arjuna Awardees and Padma Awardees sportspersons from diverse fields of sports, as well as leading emerging online sports engagement platforms and investors discussing emerging trend in sports industries and developing modern sports ecosystem and pathway for achieving greater glories on international stage, including Olympics.
AdilleSumariwala, President of Athletic Federation of India, spoke of how Khelo India and Skill India initiatives of the government of India is sawing seeds for young talents to excel in national and international competitions.
‘The booming sports ecosystem in India is nearing the inflection point and is ready for a quantum leap. These developments are setting the tone for a seemingly tectonic shift in the way sport is played, seen, marketed and taken advantage of,’ said Rajiv Podar in his opening remarks.
The day-long Conclave held discussions on how to make India Olympic powerhouse, business of sports, future of cricket, women cricket, and emerging trends in e-sports and fantasy sports. A White Paper prepared by International Institute of Sports Management on Impact of Covid on Gaming Industry in India was released on the occasion.
Sportsmen Nilesh Kulkarni, Pankaj Athavale, Viren Rasquinha, Dhanraj Pillay, Pankaj Athavale, Kamlesh Mehta, Aparna Popat, Lisa Sthalekar, Neil Maxwell, Mike Hussey, leading entities and entrepreneurs in business of sports and gaming, like Pradeep Dwiwedi, Akshat Rathee, Sameer Pitalwalla, Supratik Sen, Vivek Raicha, Arvind Iyengar, Michael Broda, Venky Mysore, Sanjog Gupta, Yannick Colaco and Anand Krishnan shared their thoughts.
