Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) have announced their long-term partnership to improve Indian players’ performances in several international sports events.
The company has said that it aspires to upgrade the performance of Indian athletes, support the sports federations, and invest in making India a global sporting nation, and by doing so, wants India to host the Olympic Games soon. The partnership also includes the establishment of India House for the first-time ever, at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris.
Despite being the second largest country in the world in terms of population, India’s best Olympic achievement came only last year, when it won seven medals. RIL, along with the IOA, will prepare athletes for the forthcoming Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, and the Olympics.
Nita Ambani, wife of RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani, manages the oil-to-telecoms conglomerate’s philanthropic arm – the Reliance Foundation – and is also a part of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She has said in an interview that it is her dream to see India take the centre stage in the global sporting arena.
Ambani also mentioned the establishment of the first-ever India House at the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. The establishment of a Hospitality House of a country in the Olympic Games is a great opportunity for that nation to showcase talent, potential and aspiration to the world. It is a tradition in the Olympic event which allows the country to promote its culture and hold parties for the winning athletes. The Hospitality House provides the competing athletes’ fans with a vision, and an understanding about the country they belong to. The House also provides an avenue for interactions between officials, athletes, their families, and also the public. Approximately 50 nations had made their Hospitality Houses in the 2016 Rio Olympics, introducing their culture and sporting history to the world.
Rajeev Mehta, the general secretary of the IOA said that the association thanks Reliance Industries and Nita Ambani for their partnership. He also mentioned that it is a historic initiative to hold India House at the Paris Olympics, as it proves India’s commitment towards the Olympic movement and sports.
The partnership is set to build in the run-up to the Paris olympics. India will host the 140th IOC session in June 2023, at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai. The session will take the spotlight during India’s 75th year of independence, and will emphasize India’s role in the sports arena. The event will also showcase India’s contribution towards the olympics.
Recently, in May 2022, India conducted its first ‘Olympic Values Education Programme’ (OVEP) in Odisha. The event contributed to combining both the necessities of existence, that is sports and education. The IOC created the OVEP as a practical collection of resources, to introduce young people to the Olympic principles of excellence, respect, and friendship. The programme’s goal is to spread this value-based education so that children can grow up to be active, healthy, and responsible citizens.
