World Championship medallists <keyword id="20376839" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nikhat-Zareen" source="keywords">Nikhat Zareen</keyword>, <keyword id="20376840" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lovlina-Borgohain" source="keywords">Lovlina Borgohain</keyword> and <keyword id="20420031" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nishant-Dev" source="keywords">Nishant Dev</keyword> will wade through draws that are at best tricky in their quest to achieve India's best Olympic medal tally in boxing when the competition kicks off here on Saturday. <keyword id="20287995" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-boxers" source="keywords">Indian boxers</keyword> have fetched three medals in the Olympics so far, all bronze. While Vijender Singh remains the only male to have achieved the feat back in the 2008 Beijing Games, women stars MC Mary Kom (London, 2012) and Borgohain (Tokyo, 2021) later added to the overall haul. The six boxers in Paris were handed draws ranging from slippery to difficult on Thursday. Expectations are high from the group and two-time reigning world champion Zareen is at the forefront. The 28-year-old has an uphill task ahead as three of the top medal contenders in the light-flyweight (50kg) division -- China's Wu Yu, Thailand's Chuthamat Raksat and Uzbekistan's Sabina Bobokulov -- are in her half. Zareen opens her campaign against Germany's Maxi Klotzer on Sunday, following which she will meet top-seeded Asian Games and reigning flyweight world champion Wu. If Zareen crosses this hurdle, she may meet either eighth-seeded Asian Games silver medallist Raksat or Bobokulova. Both boxers have defeated the Indian recently. While Raksat got the better of Zareen at the Asian Games last year, Bobokulova beat her at the Strandja Memorial final in February. But the tenacious Hyderabadi would be up for the challenge and if she gets through two rounds, she would become a favourite for gold. The seasoned <keyword id="20499145" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amit-Panghal" source="keywords">Amit Panghal</keyword> (51kg) has had a rollercoaster of a ride this Olympic year -- from not being the first choice in his weight class in the national team to making the cut for Paris in the one and only chance he got. Time out from the national team deflated his confidence but he has unfinished business to address, having made a first-round exit in Tokyo. Panghal has received a first-round bye and meets African Games champion, Zambia's Patrick Chinyemba, who had lost to the Indian at the Commonwealth Games, in the round of 16. He faces Asian Games silver medallist Thitisan Panmod of Thailand in the quarterfinals and could potentially meet Rio Olympics and reigning world champion Hassanboy Dusmatov from Uzbekistan or Tokyo bronze-winner Kazakh Saken Bibossinov in the semifinal. The immensely talented Nishant, one of the most consistent performers in the Indian squad, has got the best draw. With a first round bye, the debutant will take on Ecuador's Rodriguez Tenorio in the pre-quarters on Thursday. If Nishant gets past Tenorio, he will meet Mexico's Pan American Games champion Merco Verde in the quarterfinals. He may come up against top seed Sewon Okazawa of Japan in the semifinals. Borgohain will be chasing history, to add to her 69kg bronze. The Assamese boxer, who has bulked up to 75kg, will clash with Norway's Sunniva Hofstad in the first round. However, Borgohain has a tough test waiting for her in the quarterfinal in the form of Chinsese Li Qian, the reigning Asian Games champion and also a two-time Olympic and world medallist. Although Borgohain defeated Qian at the world event last year, she lost in the previous two meetings -- Asian Games and the Czech Grand Prix. A win in the quarters may pit Borgohain against either fifth-seeded world silver medallist Australian Caitlin Parker or Morocco's heavyweight world champion Khadija El-Mardi. Asian Games bronze medallist Preeti Pawar (54kg), competing in her debut Games, will fight with Vietnam's Vo Thi Kim Anh in the first round. A win will take her to the round of 16 where world silver-medallist Yeni Arias of Colombia awaits her. Another debutant Jaismine Lamboria, who has dropped from 60kg to 57kg just ahead of the final qualifier, has got perhaps the most difficult draw. She takes on Tokyo silver-medallist, former world champion Nesthy Petecio of Philippines, in her opening bout. Should she win, Jaismine would be up against France's European Games champion and world bronze winner Amina Zidani. The boxing events at the Paris Games will take place at two venues. The early rounds will be held at the North Paris Arena while the iconic Stade Roland-Garros will host the semifinals and finals.

All eyes on Nikhat, Lovlina as boxers open Olympic campaign hoping to negotiate difficult draws

Indian athletes, following their scintillating performance at the <keyword id="70415" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="birmingham" source="Orion">Birmingham</keyword> <keyword id="6354367" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="commonwealth-games" source="Orion">Commonwealth Games</keyword>, have started returning home from Birmingham to warm receptions, with the ubiquitous dhols, garlands and bouquets giving the IGI airport a festive look. Among those who have arrived since Monday night include the boxing contingent led by <keyword id="4223810" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="amit-panghal" source="Orion">Amit Panghal</keyword>, the athletics and wrestling teams and the para powerlifters, who returned to their <keyword id="63032" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="sports-authority-of-india" source="Orion">Sports Authority of India</keyword> (SAI) base in Gandhinagar. It was a truly memorable return for Deepak Punia and Sakshi Malik and the entire wrestling contingent when it touched down here, with the celebrated grapplers being mobbed the moment they entered the arrival lounge. "Our Dhakad (braveheart) Wrestlers Are Back. <keyword id="771774" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="indian-wrestling" source="Orion">Indian Wrestling</keyword> contingent is back after a spectacular performance at #CommonwealthGames2022. Let's greet them with our wishes &amp; continue to #Cheer4<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword>. Welcome back <keyword id="424169" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="champs" source="Orion">Champs</keyword>!" tweeted the Sports Authority of India, with a video of the players at the airport lounge being garlanded by fans. Led by gold medallist pugilist Amit Panghal, the boxing contingent too arrived in the early hours on Monday to a rousing welcome, with SAI tweeting, "Indian Boxing contingent is back home after a splendid display of grit, power, tenacity &amp; determination at #CommonwealthGames2022. Join us in welcoming them with your wishes &amp; continue to #Cheer4India. Welcome back Champs!" The wrestling, boxing and athletics contingents arrived in India around the time the closing ceremony was taking place in Birmingham. The <keyword id="59608" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="indian-olympic-association" source="Orion">Indian Olympic Association</keyword> (IOA) had initially planned to have a top wrestler and a boxer as the flag-bearers during the closing ceremony, but since their events ended early, they boarded the flights back to India. In the event, celebrated India table tennis player <keyword id="6363475" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="achanta-sharath-kamal" source="Orion">Achanta Sharath Kamal</keyword> and boxer Nikhat Zareen did the honours on the closing day. The hockey, badminton and table tennis contingents are expected to return later on Tuesday. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sustainability/news/plea-against-damage-to-the-trees-during-road-construction-delhi-hc-issues-notice/articleshow/93450582.cms">Plea against damage to the trees during road construction; Delhi HC issues notice</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/most-people-have-at-least-two-or-more-unused-phones-at-home-says-survey/articleshow/93451014.cms">Most people have at least two or more unused phones at home, says survey</a>

Dhols, garlands and bouquets for Commonwealth Games winners coming home

Their training halted by the coronavirus-forced national lockdown, India's Olympic-bound boxers will be provided online classes by their coaches from Monday to ensure that aspects such as mental well-being and nutrition are taken care of. Nine Indian boxers -- M C <keyword id="47387" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mary-Kom">Mary Kom</keyword> (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohani (69kg), Pooja Rani (75kg), <keyword id="4223810" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="amit-panghal">Amit Panghal</keyword> (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), <keyword id="124083" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vikas-Krishan">Vikas Krishan</keyword> (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg) and Satish Kumar (+91kg) -- have qualified for the <keyword id="229547" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Tokyo-Games">Tokyo Games</keyword>, postponed to 2021 due to the global pandemic which has caused thousands of deaths. In a conference call with these boxers on Sunday, <keyword id="556818" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Boxing-Federation-of-India">Boxing Federation of India</keyword> (BFI) President Ajay Singh took stock of their preparations amid a national lockdown till April 14 to fight the pandemic. "This is a challenging time for all of us and is all the more a reason for us to take care of ourselves...stay fit, continue with the exercises as directed by the coaches and try to maintain your weights as much as possible," Singh told the boxers. "We will tide over this crisis soon and get back to the ring but staying motivated in the meantime is absolutely necessary," he added. Elaborating further on the 45-minute discussion, BFI's Executive Director R <keyword id="8975779" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="k-sacheti">K Sacheti</keyword> told that the areas of concern are diet control and mental health. "They are at their homes right now where diet can go for a toss. So the idea behind these online classes starting tomorrow is to ensure that they are kept aware of their nutritional needs," he said. Sacheti said India boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva, who is now in Patiala after completing a 14-day self-isolation period in Delhi, will be conducting classes for men. The classes for women will be conducted by their high performance director Rafaelle Bergamasco. "Santiago is the only boxing coach who is in Patiala right now. He will have access to the boxing hall where he will educate the boxers on technicalities. The idea is to keep them connected and aware," he said. "We hope things improve and the lockdown ends but we can't start from the scratch when that happens. We have to have something going so that when it ends, there is a seamless transtion," he added. India booked an unprecedented nine Olympic slots at the Asian qualifiers in Jordan earlier this month. The national lockdown has put a halt to all sporting activities across the country. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused more than 20 deaths in India and infected over 900. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/harrowing-pictures-show-how-hundreds-of-thousands-of-migrant-workers-flock-to-state-borders-in-india-despite-the-nationwide-lock-down/articleshow/74870281.cms">Harrowing pictures show hundreds of thousands of migrant workers flocking to state borders in India despite nationwide lock down</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/news/akshay-kumar-guru-randhawa-and-suresh-raina-everyone-who-made-a-donation-to-pm-cares-fund-against-coronavirus/articleshow/74866128.cms">From Akshay Kumar, Guru Randhawa to Suresh Raina — All donations to PM-CARES fund against Coronavirus</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/thelife/food/news/order-pizza-as-dominos-resumes-contactless-delivery-in-delhi-during-the-lock-down/articleshow/74871279.cms">You can now order Pizza as Domino's resumes contactless delivery in Delhi during the lock down</a>

Mary Kom and other Olympic-bound boxers will train online during nationwide lockdown

In a heartbreaking end to <keyword id="19895063" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="India" source="keywords">India</keyword>'s <keyword id="20326420" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="boxing" source="keywords">boxing</keyword> campaign at the Paris 2024 Olympics, <keyword id="20376840" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Lovlina-Borgohain" source="keywords">Lovlina Borgohain</keyword>, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist, bowed out after a hard-fought quarterfinal bout against China's <keyword id="20488214" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Li-Qian" source="keywords">Li Qian</keyword> in the women's 75kg category. Borgohain lost 1-4 in a match marked by repeated cautions for clenching and holding, signalling the end of India’s journey in the boxing ring this Olympic season. The <keyword id="20201970" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-squad" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Indian squad" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Indian squad">Indian squad</keyword> at these Games featured a mix of veterans and rising stars: Amit Panghal (51kg), <keyword id="20420031" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Nishant-Dev" source="keywords">Nishant Dev</keyword> (71kg), <keyword id="20376839" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nikhat-zareen" source="keywords">Nikhat Zareen</keyword> (50kg), <keyword id="21773837" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="preeti-pawar" source="keywords">Preeti Pawar</keyword> (54kg), Jaismine Lamboria (57kg), and Lovlina Borgohain (75kg). Despite a spirited effort, the results were mixed, with initial optimism ultimately tempered by fierce international competition. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112264216" title="Paris Olympics: India beat Great Britain 4-2 in shoot-out to qualify for semifinals of men&amp;#39;s hockey" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>Nishant Dev, seen as a strong medal contender, faced a similar fate. He exited in the men's 71kg <keyword id="20288129" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="quarterfinals" source="keywords">quarterfinals</keyword> after a tough match against Italy's Marco Verde. Dev’s performance, though commendable, fell short of securing a podium finish, adding to the collective disappointment of the Indian team. The <keyword id="20006192" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Paris-Olympics" source="keywords">Paris Olympics</keyword> proved to be a testing ground for Indian boxers, showcasing their resilience and skill against formidable global opponents. Lovlina started strong, matching Li Qian's intensity in the early rounds. However, Li's tactical adjustments in the later stages of the match turned the tide, ending Borgohain's run in a decisive manner. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="112258635" title="Star shooter Manu Bhaker set to be India&amp;#39;s flagbearer in Paris Olympics 2024 closing ceremony" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>As the dust settles, India's boxing federation and its ardent supporters will look back at these performances with an eye toward the future. The experiences and lessons from Paris 2024 will be invaluable in refining strategies and training regimens. This reflective period will be essential as India gears up for the next Olympic cycle, aiming to make a stronger impact on the world stage (with inputs from agencies)

Paris Olympics: Lovlina Borgohain’s hard-fought loss in tough quarterfinals ends India’s boxing medal dreams

New Delhi, Jul 13 () A doctor attached with the Indian boxing team on Monday tested positive for COVID-19 even as all the pugilists who have assembled for training in Patiala came out negative but stared at a possible suspension of the proposed camp due to the development. The 11 boxers, including Asian Games champion and world silver-medallist Amit Panghal, will be retested as they were at the same quarantine facility with the doctor. "Dr Amol (Patil) was in quarantine in a centre outside the main campus of national Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala. As per protocol, before he is allowed to enter main hostel and sports arena, he was given the COVID test on the 7th day (of quarantine) and tested positive," the Sports Authority of India said in a statement to when asked about the development. "He has been shifted to the state-run COVID centre. Those who are identified as primary contact will be tested tomorrow. The quarantine period for all persons staying in the same quarantine facility has been extended by one week. The centre has been sterilised as per protocol," it added. The boxers have, however, tested negative but will undergo a second round of testing on Tuesday. "Dr Patil is completely asymptomatic, not even mild symptoms are there. He will recover soon enough," said a source close to the team. Patil has been a regular in Indian boxing and travelled with the team to the 2018 Commonwealth Games and the world championships last year. The pugilists were due to start training later this month or early in August after the Boxing Federation of India got the SAI nod to conduct the national camp amid the pandemic. The conduct of the camp is currently being overseen by SAI after the Delhi High Court stayed the sports ministry's recognition to 57 national federations including the BFI. Nine Indian boxers have qualified for the Olympics, postponed to 2021 due to the pandemic. They are -- Amit Panghal (52kg), Manish Kaushik (63kg), Vikas Krishan (69kg), Ashish Kumar (75kg), Satish Kumar (+91kg), MC Mary Kom (51kg), Simranjit Kaur (60kg), Lovlina Borgohain (69kg), and Pooja Rani (75kg). Of these, Mary Kom continues to train at her home in Delhi as attending the camp was optional. As per the SAI's safety protocols for training, boxers have been barred from doing human sparring, told not to access the ring and use their personal equipment for all forms of training. They were to be offered cover for COVID-19 in their medical insurance, as per the SOP made by the BFI. The boxers and the federation also have to sign consent forms acknowledging the risk of resumption before being allowed back at the SAI centre. PM AH

Doctor with Indian boxing team tests positive for COVID-19

New Delhi, <keyword id="94226" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Indian-boxers">Indian boxers</keyword> won three gold medals, besides two silver and four bronze, at the recently concluded <keyword id="7517642" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Cologne-Boxing-World-Cup">Cologne Boxing World Cup</keyword> held in Koln, Germany. "Our Indian boys and girls have won nine medals including three gold, two silver and four bonze medals at the prestigious Cologne Boxing World Cup," Union Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju shared the news on his official Twitter handle on Sunday. "India has achieved tremendous progress in boxing. My hearty congratulations to our star bvoxers!" he added. Ace Indian pugilists Amit Panghal (flyweight 52kg), Manisha Moun (57 kg) and Simranjit Kaur (60kg) clinched gold medals in their respective weight categories. <keyword id="1885961" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sakshi-Choudhary">Sakshi Choudhary</keyword> (57 kg), two-time AIBA Women's Youth World Champion and heavy weight boxer Satish Kumar (+91kg) won the silver medals. Sonia Lather (57kg), Pooja Rani (75kg) Gaurav Solanki (57kg) and <keyword id="10464632" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="mohamed-hussamudin">Mohamed Hussamudin</keyword> (57kg) bagged bronze medals. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/wistron-apple-iphone-manufacturer-could-face-these-penalties-if-found-guilty/articleshow/79790319.cms">If investigators find Wistron management guilty, here's what is at stake for the company</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/heres-what-analysts-say-if-you-should-subscribe-or-not-to-the-300-crore-ipo-of-antony-waste-handling-cell/articleshow/79790998.cms">Antony Waste Handling Cell ₹300-crore IPO will open on Monday— these are the risks and opportunities</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/ikea-india-cfo-says-she-still-has-3500-crore-to-be-spent-in-india-the-pandemic-has-changed-targets-but-not-the-investment-plan/articleshow/79790938.cms">INTERVIEW: Ikea CFO says she still has ₹3,500 crore to be spent in India⁠— the pandemic has changed targets but not the investment plan</a>

India won nine medals at Cologne Boxing World Cup

<ul><li>Satish Kumar (+91kg) put up a gutsy performance against reigning world champion Bakhodir Jalolov but it was not enough to upstage the rampaging <keyword id="67415" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uzbek">Uzbek</keyword> as the Indian boxer made a quarterfinal exit from the Olympic Games here on Sunday.</li><li>The two-time Asian Games bronze-winner and multiple-time national champion, had scripted history by just qualifying for the Games.</li><li>Satish's forehead cut did open up eventually during the third round but he fought through even with that.</li></ul>A badly bruised Satish Kumar (+91kg) put up a gutsy performance against reigning world champion Bakhodir Jalolov but it was not enough to upstage the rampaging Uzbek as the Indian boxer made a quarterfinal exit from the Olympic Games here on Sunday. Taking the ring with multiple stitches on his forehead and chin after sustaining cuts in the pre-quarters, Satish lost 0-5 but the scoreline was not reflective of his brave performance. Satish, a two-time Asian Games bronze-winner and multiple-time national champion, had scripted history by just qualifying for the Games as he was the first super heavyweight from India to achieve the feat. "He is a bit low right now but when he settles down, he will realise how big it was for him to fight it out with those cuts," Indian Boxing's High Performance Director Santiago Nieva told . "The fight he gave despite the blows is praiseworthy. Every punch that Jalolov connected added to his pain, he was feeling it all through. The Uzbek boxer is a special talent," he said. The 32-year-old Army man stood his ground in the biggest bout of his career, occasionally managed to land a shot with his right hand but Jalolov dominated the proceedings all through, relying on his imposing demeanour and excellent counter-attacking game to sail through. What stood out about the <keyword id="6354367" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Commonwealth-Games">Commonwealth Games</keyword> silver-winner was his resolve to fight it out. The former kabaddi player from Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr did not hesitate to launch attacks despite the risk of his cuts opening up. Satish's forehead cut did open up eventually during the third round but he fought through even with that. "Satish was seriously injured with 13 stitches above his eye and on his chin. That he still decided to fight against the No. 1 boxer shows his courage and patriotism. "Not many will take blows for their country like Satish did today. We are very proud of him," <keyword id="556818" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Boxing-Federation-of-India">Boxing Federation of India</keyword> President Ajay Singh said. Jalolov, a 27-year-old footballer-turned-boxer, also acknowledged his rival's bravery at the end of the bout by nodding in appreciation towards him after securing his maiden Olympic Games medal. Jalolov is also a three-time Asian champion, all those gold medals coming in succession to him since 2017. With this the Indian men's boxing campaign came to an end in the Games. Lovlina Borgohain (69kg) remains the lone pugilist in fray after having made the semifinals to secure India's first and only boxing medal of the ongoing edition. On Saturday, it was a major disappointment for India when world number one Amit Panghal (52kg) bowed out of the event following a 1-4 loss to <keyword id="1428683" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Rio-Games">Rio Games</keyword> silver-medallist Yuberjen Martinez of Colombia. An injured Vikas Krishan (69kg), and the debutant duo of Manish Kaushik (63kg) and Ashish Chaudhary (75kg) had earlier bowed out following opening-round losses. In the women's competition, six-time world champion M C Mary Kom (51kg), two-time Asian champion Pooja Rani (75kg) and world bronze-winner Simranjit Kaur (60kg) had lost in the preliminary stage. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/sports/news/tokyo-olympics-indias-p-v-sindhu-loses-to-world-number-one-tai-tzu-ying-of-chinese-taipei-in-the-semis/articleshow/84922174.cms">Tokyo Olympics: India's P V Sindhu loses to world number one Tai Tzu Ying of Chinese Taipei in the semis</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/droom-founder-explains-why-he-is-considering-a-us-ipo-and-where-he-intends-to-spend-the-money/articleshow/84917608.cms">Droom founder explains why he is considering a US IPO and where he intends to spend the money</a>

Tokyo Olympics: India's Satish Kumar exits from quarter-finals in boxing after losing to Bakhodir Jalolov

<ul><li>Sony Sports has played a key role in bringing non-cricket sports to India.</li><li>This year, Sony Sports is the official broadcaster of the once-in-a-four-year global sports event, Tokyo Olympics.</li><li>Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India tells us how the broadcaster is trying to popularize other sports in India, its plans to immerse consumers with innovative marketing and more.</li></ul>With the lockdown being enforced, subsequent stoppage of play on the field and IPL getting postponed, advertisers have been starved of a good sporting tournament. After the pandemic, many sports properties have either been cancelled or postponed, directly affecting India’s ad revenue and sponsorship pie. While India’s most worshipped sport, cricket, still dominates viewership and sponsorship, <keyword id="3132005" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Sony-Pictures-Network">Sony Pictures Network</keyword> (SNP) has given its fans more choices between sporting events and SonyLiv has given them options in terms of what, when and how much to watch, leading to a rise in demand for subscription viewing in live sports. After a long, dry spell, millions of Indians are expected to tune into Tokyo Olympics this year. Sponsors and brands have also started seeing the Olympics as the one occasion to capitalise on the media and consumer attention. As a result, Sony Sports has seen an uptick in demand from sponsors and advertisers across categories for the summer games. To help its advertisers get the best bang for their buck, SPN launched an ‘innovative’ advertising format ‘Split-screen ads,’ which has <a href="https://twitter.com/Archit_0106/status/1418542834395729923">gained </a><a href="https://twitter.com/PrashantMUFC/status/1420988968238161920">mixed </a><a href="https://twitter.com/LifeIsAnElation/status/1418552243893116935">reviews </a>on social media. We caught up with Rajesh Kaul, Chief Revenue Officer, Distribution and Head – Sports Business, Sony Pictures Networks India to further understand what kind of response the broadcaster and streaming player has seen from advertisers and sponsors, how it is trying to increase non-sporting events’ viewership in india <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. This year, brands across categories have started to roll out campaigns celebrating the inspirational journey of athletes. This wasn't the case a few years ago. More and more advertisers are exploring international sports that represent India. Are advertisers open to exploring sports beyond cricket now?" text="Q. This year, brands across categories have started to roll out campaigns celebrating the inspirational journey of athletes. This wasn't the case a few years ago. More and more advertisers are exploring international sports that represent India. Are advertisers open to exploring sports beyond cricket now?">Q. This year, brands across categories have started to roll out campaigns celebrating the inspirational journey of athletes. This wasn't the case a few years ago. More and more advertisers are exploring international sports that represent India. Are advertisers open to exploring sports beyond cricket now?</cmsannotation> Indians have always been extremely supportive of the Indian athletes when they compete at a global stage. Their performances are celebrated as it is a huge thing to even get to participate, let alone winning a medal at Olympics. More and more business houses/organizations/brands have started promoting various athletes and or Indian contingent. Sports in India is growing dramatically as an entertainment option beyond just cricket. This year. Sony Sports has embarked on a mission to popularize the athletes participating in the <keyword id="7932992" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="olympic-games-tokyo-2020">Olympic Games Tokyo 2020</keyword> and to make them household names. Sony Sports launched the grandest ever campaign in the history of Indian Olympics, Hum Honge Kamyab to galvanize the whole nation to cheer for the India contingent. From the honorable Prime minister of India himself to the sports minister as well as industrialists, sports personalities, philanthropists, Bollywood Superstars, Youtube influencers joined us in our endeavor. Sony Sports has collaborated with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports as well as eminent personalities and joining the brigade are Union Minister for I&amp;B and Youth Affairs &amp; Sports, Shri Anurag Thakur, General Bipin Rawat, Chief of Defence Staff and Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee and Mr. N.P. Singh, MD &amp; CEO, Sony Pictures Networks India, along with Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Sajjan Jindal, Sudha Murty, Nita Ambani, Gautam Adani, Rana Daggubati, Yuvraj Singh, Anjali Bhagwat, Parth Jindal, Boman Irani, Farhan Akhtar, Sonakshi Sinha, Johnny Lever, Ali Fazal, Adille Sumariwala, Arshad Warsi, Pullela Gopichand, Vijender Singh, Anjali Bhagwat, Harsha Bhogle, Shankar Mahadevan, Anurag Basu, and many more to catalyze the Olympic momentum in the nation for the landmark event. This was unprecedented and Sony Sports’ efforts have pumped up the volume of Olympics in India and the #Olympicsjosh decibels have gone up to another level. <div type="Youtube" id="-bnwo0ezgQE" title="Watch PV Sindhu, Manu Bhaker, Mary Kom, Deepak Kumar, Hockey (M) &amp; others LIVE, TOM, July 25 on Sony" thumbUrl="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-bnwo0ezgQE/mqdefault.jpg"></div> <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. Can you tell us what kind of interest you have seen from advertisers and brands?" text="Q. Can you tell us what kind of interest you have seen from advertisers and brands?">Q. Can you tell us what kind of interest you have seen from advertisers and brands?</cmsannotation> We have received a phenomenal response from advertisers and we have got sponsors on board across categories like beverages, FMCG, education, automobiles, banking, finance, gaming, sports foundations amongst others. The sponsors are Coca-Cola India Pvt. Ltd., LIC, JSW, MPL, Hero MotoCorp, Amul, Reserve Bank of India, AMFI and other advertisers include Visa, Byju’s, Adani Group, Herbalife Nutrition &amp; Lenovo and more. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. This once-in-a-four-year sports event attracts eyeballs from across the world hosting sports such as shooting, wrestling, long jump, and hockey. Which sport do you think will perform the best in India in terms of viewership?" text="Q. This once-in-a-four-year sports event attracts eyeballs from across the world hosting sports such as shooting, wrestling, long jump, and hockey. Which sport do you think will perform the best in India in terms of viewership?">Q. This once-in-a-four-year sports event attracts eyeballs from across the world hosting sports such as shooting, wrestling, long jump, and hockey. Which sport do you think will perform the best in India in terms of viewership?</cmsannotation> We expect great Sports like Wrestling, Shooting, Archery and Hockey, which have also done extremely well on TV in the past, due to the medal winning performances by Indian Athletes. Additionally, there has been high interest to watch Athletics and Gymnastics, owing to the visually engaging nature of the sports. During the 2016 Rio Olympics, Badminton had the highest viewership owing to PV Sindhu winning a silver medal. The final match between PV Sindhu and Carolina Marin was watched by 42 million viewers across the country. This year, we have our largest contingent ever of 127 athletes travelling to Tokyo and the whole nation will want to support and watch our athletes in the various sports disciplines they are competing in like boxing, wrestling, tennis, athletics, badminton, hockey, shooting, archery, weightlifting, Equestrian, Table tennis and more. Some of the athletes that the audiences are already looking out for are Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary in shooting, Vinesh Phogat and Bajrang Punia in wrestling, Amit Panghal and Mary Kom in boxing, Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das, PV Sindu in badminton and more. Also, for the first time, we will see participation in fencing with Bhavani Devi and Fouaad Mirza making it to the equestrian event which will also attract audiences. Additionally, to reach out to a wider audience and engage viewers across India, Sony Sports will have a Live wraparound studio show called SPORTS EXTRAAA with a distinguished panel that comprising former Olympians and legendary Indian athletes like Vijender Singh, Gagan Narang, Karnam Malleswari, Anjali Bhagwat, Anju Bobby George, Sakshi Malik, Viren Rasquinha, Somdev Devvarman, Trupti Murgunde, Rahul Banerjee, Kripa Shankar and Satish Shivalingam. We will also have the world-renowned Sprinter and four-time Olympic medalist, Yohan Blake, considered to be the second fastest man after Usain Bolt as a marquee expert on the show. The comprehensive coverage for the global event will be broadcast LIVE in four languages: SONY TEN 2 and SONY SIX channels in English, SONY TEN 3 channels in Hindi and in Tamil &amp; Telugu on the newly launched SONY TEN 4 channels. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How do brands get to benefit from advertising on Olympics through Sony this year? What is your advice to brands who are advertising? How can they get the best bang for their buck?" text="Q. How do brands get to benefit from advertising on Olympics through Sony this year? What is your advice to brands who are advertising? How can they get the best bang for their buck?">Q. How do brands get to benefit from advertising on Olympics through Sony this year? What is your advice to brands who are advertising? How can they get the best bang for their buck?</cmsannotation> The Olympic Games is an extremely premium global sporting event, the greatest show on earth with 200+ countries, 11000+ athletes across 339 events in 33 different sports, encompassing a total of 50 disciplines. As I mentioned earlier, this year, we have rolled out the grandest campaign for this showcase event involving 30+ luminaries across the country. The sheer association to the Olympics for any brand will create and drive great brand perception and awareness value. We have offered value-based propositions to our clients and have ensured that we amplify their associations with athletes in the Indian contingent which they might be sponsoring. The brands have also been given the opportunity to ride on the back of the amazing build- up programming which we have locally produced adding to the brands association and visibility. Series like “Torch bearers” are resonating well with our audiences. We are also excited to offer a new breakthrough innovation “Split Screen” advertisement opportunity during the live broadcast. This will help the brands break away from the clutter and amplifies the brand’s visibility manifold without intruding into the viewing experiences of our audiences. This new technology is a game changer and will surely get the best ROI for our key sponsors. <cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Q. How do you think sports marketing has changed in India in the last few years? Any interesting trends that you are expecting to see as we move forward?" text="Q. How do you think sports marketing has changed in India in the last few years? Any interesting trends that you are expecting to see as we move forward?">Q. How do you think sports marketing has changed in India in the last few years? Any interesting trends that you are expecting to see as we move forward?</cmsannotation> While Indian Cricket will dominate viewership and revenues, Sony Sports has been consistently making efforts to massify and popularize other sports. Sony Sports is a global multi-sporting arena and sports marketing here, is not only talks to the purists but also focuses on attracting fence-sitters and newer audiences to join the Sony Sports community. This has paid off and every year our viewership for sports like WWE, UFC, football properties like UEFA Champions League and non-India cricket is steadily growing. Even the recently concluded UEFA EURO 2020 on our sports channels has seen massive growth compared to the last edition in 2016 by almost 70% Sports as an entertainment quotient is only going to grow.

Sony Sports has embarked on a mission to popularize the athletes participating in the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 and to make them household names: Rajesh Kaul of SPN

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