M A I N   N E W S

Medals don’t bring brand endorsements
Sports firms say admen may pick only established names
Sanjeev Sharma/TNS

Neerav Tomar, co-founder and CEO of Infinity Optimal Solutions (IOS), a leading sports management company, says “Someone like Sushil Kumar or Saina Nehwal or Abhinav Bindra or Gagan Narang or even Vijender Singh or Somdev Dev Burman are likely to benefit from their performances at the CWG. This is only a reaffirmation of their established international credentials.”

He added other athletes in discus, long jump or even boxing were unlikely to benefit since they were not yet established properties on the international stage and were unlikely to be household names.

Latika Khaneja of Collage Sports Management, says “There will be some interest for winners of the CWG, but it’s not like every medal winner will benefit. The more established names like Saina Nehwal, Gagan Narang and Sushil Kumar will gain as they get more visibility which had been a constraint earlier. There will be some inspirational stories like Krishna Poonia which will be tapped or even women athletes especially mothers which is a rarity and a like a needle in a haystack”.

On factors that affect endorsements, says Tomar adds, “An athlete’s ability to attract endorsements and sponsorships is proportional to the ‘connect’ that the athlete shares with the Indian masses and the visibility of that athlete in the eyes of the Indian masses. This visibility is not always proportional to the success of the athlete and is more often linked to the visibility of the sport in which the athlete participates.