sports news
Any Olympic Games fan- especially from India – would be very pleased at the achievements that came from the Summer Olympic Games of 2012 in London, England. What I found very fitting was that those medal winners were also separately recognized for their wonderful efforts put into making India proud. The very influential and powerful Indian empire of Sahara India Pariwar was very generous in awarding the medal winners in addition to what they had already attained at the Olympics. Sahara had adopted certain sports prior to the Olympics such as track & field, Indian boxing, wrestling, archery, shooting, tennis and others.
In October of 2012, Sahara India Pariwar deeply honored those Indian sports-persons in an outstanding felicitation commemoration that had been well arranged at Sahara Shaher, Lucknow. Before the Olympics began, it was already announced by Sahara that they would be awarding medals of pure gold in weights of 5kg, 3kg and 2kg to every Indian athlete who won gold, silver and bronze medals in their Olympic events. Those who attended the ceremony themselves were witnesses to the 9 pure gold medals that were awarded to the victorious contenders.
Such ample donations and support are nothing new to us who know all about Sahara India Pariwar and their concern towards the sports and athletes of India. I’m a fan of the track & field events and was glad to know that Sahara helped in the training of many of them while at the same time provided top-of-the-line equipment and resources to make the athletes feel special. They also take care of the financial needs of the top professionals in order to keep them properly focused on what they must do to win.
In 2009, Sahara India Pariwar had pioneered The Sahara Indian Sports Awards with every objective to bring all sports in a jointly fashion which also included sports that were either popular or not so popular at the time. The goal was also to formally recognize and respect the accomplishments of Indian athletes that were able to take pride of the nation to peak levels by helping raise India’s flag high. The second edition of the awards occurred in 2010 at the MMRDA Grounds in Mumbai. Again, the aim was to encourage younger athletes to bear witness to the positions they might find themselves in one day should they also pursue their competition dreams.
The recognition for Sahara doesn’t even stop here but can go back to 2002 when at the Commonwealth Games, Sahara honored the winners for their outstanding sports discipline and execution while competing. The setting was at a very shimmering ceremony in Delhi where each medal winner was presented with a chain and gold medallion, cash reward of Rs. 1.54 crore and a practice kit. There was also support given by Sahara at the Athens Olympics in 2004 as well as the Commonwealth Games of 2010.
True sports fans should really appreciate what giant enterprises like Sahara India Pariwar actually accomplish when they stand behind their country, its sports and its athletes.
Growing up as a child I used to love sports of all kinds. I couldn’t wait every four years to watch the winter and summer Olympic Games on television and cheer for my country. I was always amazed at how all the countries of the world could set aside their differences and come together to compete for all those medals. As time passed on and I grew into an adult, I lost almost all of my taste for sports. It wasn’t until the London Olympic Games of 2012 that a door was re-opened and I began to appreciate sports and athletes from not only my country but from others as well. When I now realize all the effort, training and sponsorship that go into producing athletes I have learned to truly appreciate it all and when witnessing what top Indian conglomerate Sahara India Pariwar has done to support the athletes is truly remarkable.
Sahara India Pariwar is a definite leading supporter and promoter of sports both local and regional at national as well as international levels. Sahara stands firmly behind the sports of India because they believe they encourage an enthusiastic and healthy aspect of society and culture. Sports can break down barriers that were put up over centuries, bring unification and create an emotional relationship. Saharasri Subrata Roy (Chairman of Sahara India Pariwar) goes on to explain that all humans possess a dominating instinct within themselves that craves competitiveness against others. Sahara uses this benefit and promotes the sports of India in order to generate top world athletes who will in turn inspire younger generations to pursue sporting careers as well.
Sahara had taken the liberty in 2010 of being a major organizational provider in preparing and coordinating the XIX Commonwealth Games. Their aim was to ultimately impress and gratify the expectations of all the guests who came to attend it from across the globe. The key to accomplishing this was by supplying critical human resource and services to numerous areas and also the bonus for volunteers. During this period of time, among much skepticism Saharasri Subrata Roy had personally dedicated himself along with everyone else to restore the pride of India. The plan worked very well and Commonwealth Games became one of India’s national festivals.
Other important aspects of the games were the making of Jee Jaan Se – Commonwealth Song which was specifically recorded with Shankar-Ehsan Loy, Sonu Nigam and Sapna Mukerjee. More than 2,500 gold-plated wrist watches were distributed to volunteers and the media as well. Other international guests were treated as well with brass name plates on the GAs rooms at Ashoka Hotel. Coffee table books, DVDs, experience folders and personalized stationary dockets were also given out to guests and much more.
Sahara India Pariwar is incredibly generous to its athletes and treats them with top quality training facilities at Sahara Sports Academy and also provides bonus pay-outs to the top professionals who provide excellent performances in their sports. There is no doubt that the world of sports for India has gone first class as soon as Sahara had taken over. May they provide further lucrative promotions and support to the future generations of Indian athletes.
I can still remember watching the Indian shooters Tejaswini Sawant, Asher Noria and Gagan Narang at the 50th ISSF World Shooting Championship in Munich, Germany and how they proudly won their medals for a job well done. Not only can India be proud of their athletes but also the ones who stand behind them. Sahara India Pariwar has gone through extensive lengths to provide the best training and support for the athletes. In fact, the President of the (NRAI) said, “It is because of Sahara’s support that our shooters have done extremely well and have won two gold and one bronze medal and two quota places during the World Championship.”
As a passionate fan I can appreciate what lengths all athletes go through and especially the ones in the shooting events. Far too often there are many potential athletes that were never given the right opportunity because they had inadequate facilities or resources to become all that they could be. It takes a willing conglomerate like Sahara India Pariwar to give assistance and guidance to such athletes in need.
It was in 2009 when Sahara stepped up and reached out in order to lend a helping hand for the shooting athletes of India. In association with the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), Sahara had recognized 15 shooters that also consisted of many upcoming ones as well as 5 female shooters. Some of those athletes were quite well known such as Mr. Ranjon Sodhi, Mr. Gagan Narang, Mr. Rajyavardhan Singh and others who were all guaranteed to receive support until the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. A new shooting event had been created named Champion of Champions and Sahara promised to sponsor it as well as the National Championship.
As always, Sahara India Pariwar hopes that by backing their fellow athletes they will excel to greater heights, win medals and be a great inspiration to the younger generations in hope that the sport of shooting as well as many others will be seriously pursued. Within the four years of support that Sahara had promised, all shooters and other athletes were to be put upon a ranking system of sponsorship payments. Rewards would go to those with the highest achievements and performances in their sports. However, an evaluation for the top five shooters was to be done after two years only. Sahara to date proudly supports more than 25 participants in the shooting events.
In the Olympic Park in London while at the Olympic Games Village, Saharasri Subrata Roy was present to wish luck and encourage the Indian athletes of the various sports through a short motivational speech and a film that was also produced by Sahara.
With companies like Sahara India Pariwar backing sports and athletes, it is unquestionable that the necessary preservation of shooting and other games will have an even longer history. In turn, future generations will have equal opportunities to fulfill their aspirations in such competition as well.
I can still remember watching the Indian shooters Tejaswini Sawant, Asher Noria and Gagan Narang at the 50th ISSF World Shooting Championship in Munich, Germany and how they proudly won their medals for a job well done. Not only can India be proud of their athletes but also the ones who stand behind them. Sahara India Pariwar has gone through extensive lengths to provide the best training and support for the athletes. In fact, the President of the (NRAI) said, “It is because of Sahara’s support that our shooters have done extremely well and have won two gold and one bronze medal and two quota places during the World Championship.”
As a passionate fan I can appreciate what lengths all athletes go through and especially the ones in the shooting events. Far too often there are many potential athletes that were never given the right opportunity because they had inadequate facilities or resources to become all that they could be. It takes a willing conglomerate like Sahara India Pariwar to give assistance and guidance to such athletes in need.
It was in 2009 when Sahara stepped up and reached out in order to lend a helping hand for the shooting athletes of India. In association with the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI), Sahara had recognized 15 shooters that also consisted of many upcoming ones as well as 5 female shooters. Some of those athletes were quite well known such as Mr. Ranjon Sodhi, Mr. Gagan Narang, Mr. Rajyavardhan Singh and others who were all guaranteed to receive support until the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England. A new shooting event had been created named Champion of Champions and Sahara promised to sponsor it as well as the National Championship.
As always, Sahara India Pariwar hopes that by backing their fellow athletes they will excel to greater heights, win medals and be a great inspiration to the younger generations in hope that the sport of shooting as well as many others will be seriously pursued. Within the four years of support that Sahara had promised, all shooters and other athletes were to be put upon a ranking system of sponsorship payments. Rewards would go to those with the highest achievements and performances in their sports. However, an evaluation for the top five shooters was to be done after two years only. Sahara to date proudly supports more than 25 participants in the shooting events.
In the Olympic Park in London while at the Olympic Games Village, Saharasri Subrata Roy was present to wish luck and encourage the Indian athletes of the various sports through a short motivational speech and a film that was also produced by Sahara.
With companies like Sahara India Pariwar backing sports and athletes, it is unquestionable that the necessary preservation of shooting and other games will have an even longer history. In turn, future generations will have equal opportunities to fulfill their aspirations in such competition as well.
I am assured that many of us who love polo would be grateful to see its popularity escalate and eventually become an Olympic event. Until that time however, the game will be played as customary. Nevertheless, with an empire such as Sahara India Pariwar jumping into the fray, one can be confident that only good things are going to come of it as a result.
In 2012, a truly new juncture was met when Sahara India Pariwar announced that it would be unveiling its very own polo team. They had proudly named their newborn team as the Sahara Warriors. There was absolutely every intention in mind that the team would be involved in both National and International tournaments as well as to motivate the sport of polo and watch it expand nationwide throughout all of India. On November 21st of 2012 the team successfully participated in its initial game.
The team consists of Mr. Samir Suhag, Mr. Adhiraj Singh, Mr. George Meyrick, Mr. Max Charlton and Mr. Siddhant Sharma. Some of these gentlemen have even won spectacular sporting awards for their past accomplishments. The Sahara Warriors team’s uniform exhibits blue and white colors with Indian National tri-colored stripes. The Sahara Warriors also played at Sir Pratap Singh Cup, Baroda Cup in Delhi and the Royal Salute Cup at Jodhpur in 2012. This year in February they battled it out at the Scindia Gold Cup and the Northern India Polo Trophy which was played in Delhi.
Also in 2012, Sahara India Pariwar had proclaimed that it would throw its support behind the Indian Masters Polo which was played from February 29th to March 4th in New Delhi at the Jaipur Polo Ground. In addition, Sahara very generously offered Rs 500,000 as prize money to all four of the participating teams. The occasion was promoted by a sports management company known as Equisport Management.
Sahara’s association with polo is not new as back in 2005 they offered Rs. 10 lakhs to the Manipur Horse Riding and the Polo Association which in part was to go towards the structuring of research and development for the great sport of polo. In the same year, Sahara and Aamby Valley City were in connection with Jaipur Riding & Polo Club who hosted the Sahara Jaipur Polo Season. In 2007 the Sahara City Homes Jodhpur Polo Season was presented by Sahara and it was officially launched by His Highness Maharaja Gaj Singh at the Maharaja Gaj Singh II Polo Ground in Jodhpur. Four tournaments were played such as the Jodhpur Polo Cup, Umaid Bhawan Palace Cup, the Rajputana & Central India Cup and the H. H. Maharaja of Jodhpur Cup.
Let us hope that the establishment of Sahara India Pariwar’s new team will somehow help promote polo to the pinnacle of Olympic participation so that polo fans like us can enjoy it on such a grand scale.
I am an avid fan of hockey and love to watch any form of hockey in leagues, in the Olympics and wherever else it is showing on television. Over the years I have been impressed with India’s hockey teams and I feel that Sahara India Pariwar has done a spectacular job in providing the training facilities and financial backing to make these teams what they are today.
Since 2003, Sahara India Pariwar has been a dedicated sponsor and supporter of both the Indian Men and Women’s National Hockey Teams in both the Junior and Senior levels. There has been a current renewal of support from Sahara India Pariwar towards these hockey teams for another 5 year period which happens to be a 170% increase over the previous agreement duration. In addition to this support, there is also a hosting towards the team’s coaching camp as well. All accommodations including the lodging, boarding, travel expenses and the like were all generously taken care of for the team.
Sahara has been so supportive that they produced and granted a cash money inducement of Rs. 1.16 crore that was to be dispersed among the assisting staff and the players of the team. This was given due to the outstanding execution of play and success by the Indian hockey team within the (FIH) Olympic qualifying period that solidified their position and rights to play in the London Olympic Games, 2012.
Apart from this, Sahara had also locked a partnership in 2004 with Federation Internationale de Hockey (FIH) which is the world’s pinnacle body for hockey and in turn had become the 4th Global Companion of this Federation for as much as three years. Again, Sahara was not reluctant in spreading around the money after the officials and the entire hockey team won the Asian Cup for the very first time in 2003. A remarkable ceremony was held for all of them and each individual was awarded with Rs. 1, 51, 000. A similar event in 2010 occurred after India laid down a defeat to Pakistan which resulted in Rs. 2 lakhs being given out to each player and various coaches.
After the Indian hockey team participated and won the Asian Championship Trophy in Inner Mongolia on defeating Pakistan yet again, it is undeniable that the endeavors put forth by Sahara India Pariwar have been paying off wondrously and are getting well expected results. Despite the difficulties within the management, it just doesn’t seem like Sahara can do any wrong and there doesn’t seem to be any slow down occurring for them. Their group organization name is Sahara Adventure Sports Ltd and they are also the owners of the Uttar Pradesh Wizard franchise which is also a part of the Hockey Indian League.
SUPPORT GIVEN BY SAHARA INDIA PARIWAR
On the International hockey tournament front, Sahara India Pariwar stood behind the 1988 India-Pakistan Hockey Test series, the 1993 India-Pakistan Hockey Test series and also the Sahara’s Hockey Champion’s Trophy for men in Chennai during 2005.
I have been a Formula One enthusiast for over twenty years and have always followed the racing teams carefully and precisely when I’m associated with sports betting. I had never even heard of the Indian conglomerate of Sahara India Pariwar until I discovered that they had purchased approximately 42.5% of Force India F1’s stocks for roughly $100 million (US). This partnership was directed at supplying a possibility for the team to invest additionally in any cutting edge innovations that would improve the efficiency and push it all towards new levels.
At times I heard Sahara’s name being mentioned but never thought much about it. Just this year again I heard about their partnership with Motegi Racing which is a high performance wheel brand. In 2014 Sahara’s Force India will be sporting the wheels of the company and I’m sure to see them. The mention of their name drove me to do a little background check on Sahara India Pariwar and I must say that I was quite impressed after that.
Because I love many other sports as well as racing, I was surprised to see how patriotic Sahara was and how they exhibited this when right before the London Olympics in 2012 they had adopted many sports such as tennis, track & field, boxing, wrestling, archery and shooting. They covered a total of 101 athletes for these six sporting events who were all possible medal winners. Not only were they going to support these athletes until the Olympics but even after that. Furthermore, Sahara has expanded its support to other sporting teams too until 2016.
Before the 2012 Olympics Sahara India Pariwar had recorded a Motivation Olympic Song. The song also featured a 90 second video and together they showcased the wishes from numerous celebrities from Bollywood and cricket. Some of them were Mr. Amitabh Bachchan, Mr. Shah Rukh Khan, Mr. Anil Kapoor, Ms. Sonakshi Sinha, Ms. Diana Hayden, Ms. Sushmita Sen and several others. The Chairman of Sahara, Subrata Roy met with the Indian athletes at Olympics Games Village at Olympic Park in London and addressed them with a speech and an inspirational video.
I have to admit that I’m quite blown away at the thorough planning and support that Sahara India Pariwar has brought about. Sahara has even built a spectacular sporting facility known as the Sahara Sports Academy which cost them nearly $65 million and is spread out over 150 acres of land. The facilities which are both indoors and outdoors are said to be top notch and their training and educational programs are second to none within India.
I personally feel that if other supporting organizations would all have the same frame of mind as Sahara then there’s no telling how far the other nations’ athletes could push in their competitions on a global scale.
Golf may not be the most exciting game to watch but it is certainly a lot more enjoyable to play and take part in. Being an avid golfer and having played on many famous courses, I can honestly confess that the Aamby Valley Golf course created by Sahara India Pariwar near Mumbai was rated as the greatest in India by Professional Golfers Association for 2005 and I have no reason to doubt why.
The course, facilities and the project development are spread out across 10,000 acres and it is located 2700 feet above sea level. While playing the course, I found myself having to carefully plan each stroke for the 18 holes because they were all extremely challenging. I was also quite fascinated at the very careful maintenance of the course and how breath-taking some of the scenery surrounding it truly is. The atmosphere including the air is all so clean and inspirational to be a part of. A state of the art golf academy is also situated there and operated by true Indian professionals.
With many thanks to the Indian empire of Sahara Indian Pariwar, such sporting facilities are made available to us all. In 2004, the Aamby Valley City had secured the promotional rights and title to the Indian PGA Golf Tour for time duration of three years. The tour ended up being called; The Aamby Valley PGAI Tour and it enclosed twenty superb tournaments that were played all over India. It even extended into parts of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal.
The Aamby Valley Asian Masters’ was also held and hosted by Aamby Valley City in India during 2006. There were approximately twenty winners from the Asian Tour that had taken part in the event and had come to the Aamby Valley Golf Club at an expense of $400,000 (US). The top prize that was to be awarded to the victor was for $63,400 (US).
In 2010 throughout 2012, Sahara India Pariwar had delivered the renowned Economic Times Leaders Challenge gold tournament. This competition alone revealed the true dignity of position within Indian golf and is kept for the chiefs of the corporate world, developing cohesiveness among the leading businesses of the nation daily and for the choice-makers in the industry.
With honest certainty I can say that Sahara India Pariwar has provided the sporting world with a unique distinctiveness that will leave its mark. Not only do they support golf but a large variety of other sports events and games such as Cricket, field hockey, wrestling, boxing, Polo and archery to name a few. Sahara provides powerful promotion and top of the line sporting facilities to all its teams and athletes. If every nation’s teams and players had the financial and moral support of a company like Sahara then the sky would be the limit to where they could go and what they could do.
Sahara India Pariwar firmly assists and stands for the spirit of sports due to their belief that through this, people and nations will come together and enhance better relations that will endure through time. Instead of acting upon the instinct of competition through war and destruction, Sahara believes that sports are the perfect way to replace anger and hate with healthy competition through such events. Being a sports fan myself, I can clearly understand and appreciate this outlook.
Organizations such as Sahara India Pariwar have truly made sporting platforms more enjoyable for each one of us. Sahara India itself began back in 1978 when it was founded by Mr. Subrata Roy. It had only two people serving as its staff and no real office space but instead was launched from one literal table and two chairs. Thirty-five years later the company has left such a hallmark signature and now stands at a worth valued over $25 billion (US). More than 4100 establishments have been set up and a workforce of more than one million are proudly catering service to more than 71 million customers across the globe. To say that Sahara India Pariwar is practically a rags to riches story would be an understatement.
Among the various sporting events and teams that Sahara has placed their stamp of approval upon, one of them is football (soccer). In 2003 the oldest football organization in Asia known as the Calcutta Football League became formally sponsored by Sahara. At the International level, Sahara promoted the Sahara Millennium Cup Football Tournament in 2000. On the National platform they were behind the Durand Cup in 1997, the Kargil Benefit Football Match between the cricketers and cine stars in New Delhi at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in 1999 and the Sahara Calcutta Football League in 2006.
In 2010 Sahara was involved in the group race to bid on the very monetarily-troubled Liverpool Football Club which happens to be one of the most outstanding English clubs in history. In the end however, the decision to pull out was made due to a closer consideration of all aspects involved. In 2009 Sahara had also received a sponsorship proposal from the Manchester United football club. It was to be the very first sponsorship for the organization at the International degree for a sport that is played across 200 plus nations.
Apart from national sports, Sahara gets involved with an annual sports meet within the association. During the Bharat Parva celebrations, they arrange a sporting encounter for the staff members and employees for one week. It includes the involvement of numerous players from the various regional offices in a variety of sports.
The Sahara Sports Academy is a near $64 million sporting facility that covers more than 150 acres of land. It was designed to promote Indian sports as well as athletes and provide them with the best equipment and training. The core features of this academy are that they supply extreme challenges and coaching for sporting science, medicine, education, management and sponsorship and all for the National clubs, Corporates, National teams and other elite athletes. It is said to be one of the finest sports training establishments in the world.
I’m very thankful for the thoughtfulness, time and resources that Sahara has put in and dedicated to this sport.