Mumbai: Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks in India, announced the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with OGQ-Foundation for Promotion of Sports and Games (FPSG) and Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) under its Corporate Social Responsibility mandate. The two partnerships aim to support the present generation of Indian athletes competing at the highest level of their sport and nurture the next generation of young Indian athletes. With these partnerships, Axis Bank is supporting the sports theme under CSR for the first time, underscoring its commitment to contributing to developing the sports ecosystem in India.
The Bank’s partnership with OGQ-FPSG Programme will support 150 athletes and para-athletes over four years across ten individual Olympic sports including Archery, Badminton, Boxing, Shooting, Wrestling, Athletics, Swimming, Table Tennis, Weightlifting, Squash and eight Paralympic Sports Athletics, Archery, Badminton, Shooting, Powerlifting, Table Tennis, Canoe, Blind Judo, ensuring they have access to world-class equipment, expert coaching, nutritional guidance, mental conditioning, and injury rehabilitation programmes, to be able to bring laurels for the country at the Olympics and other international sporting events.
In collaboration with IIS, the Bank is launching the Axis Bank Judo Development Programme in Manipur, considered to be the hotbed of Judo talent in India. Over three years, the Programme aims to support the grassroots development of young judokas from the State, as well as from other parts of North-eastern India, improving the young athletes’ access to better coaching and training facilities, and creating a cohort of world-class judo talent for the region and the country. The Programme will support 90 athletes overall, including 50 young judokas from Manipur who will receive grassroots coaching and training in Manipur, and 40 female judokas from across India who will receive a full scholarship to study and train at the state-of-the-art IIS campus in Vijayanagar, Karnataka.
Speaking at the event, Vijay Mulbagal, Group Executive for Strategic Programs & Sustainability, Axis Bank, said, “Axis Bank is pleased to partner with the OGQ Programme and the Inspire Institute of Sport towards supporting the vibrant sports ecosystem in India. Through our partnerships with these two world-class programmes, we intend to help discover and nurture the inherent sporting talent that exists in the country so they can not only succeed at the highest levels in their sporting disciplines but also grow into responsible, confident individuals.”
Viren Rasquinha, MD & CEO, OGQ-Foundation for Promotion of Sports and Games, commented, “We are very happy that Axis Bank is joining the family of OGQ supporters, helping Indian athletes win Olympic and Paralympic Gold medals. Axis Bank’s commitment to OGQ strengthens our efforts as we work in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and National Sports Federations (NSFs) to strive for sporting excellence as a nation.”
Manisha Malhotra, President, Inspire Institute of Sport, said, “The support of corporate India is vital to helping the Indian sporting ecosystem harness its true potential, and we are really glad to have Axis Bank joining our growing list of donors at IIS. We have a talented young bunch of Judokas at Vijayanagar and in Manipur, and Axis Bank’s support of our Judo Programme will go a long way in helping them get the right exposure and training needed to compete at the highest level.”
