The holistic model of the ‘Girls for Gold Program’ builds the ecosystem by investing in human and institutional capacity and creating talent pathways for future generations.
Bengaluru: Infosys Foundation, the philanthropic and CSR arm of Infosys, today announced that it is collaborating with GoSports Foundation to build the ‘Girls for Gold Program’, a high-performance excellence program for junior and emerging women athletes. This program, spanning an initial term of four years, will identify and support progression of talented Indian women athletes between 13 to 19 years of age through collaborations with high potential academies and coaches in India. The program will include scholarships, coaching, access to academies, and performance recognition.
The program will follow a three-pronged approach. First, it will establish a strong cohort of women athletes who will be equipped to compete at the international level, help them build sustainable careers, and nurture them to become role models for the next generation. Secondly, it will build a pipeline of qualified and capable coaches who will help realize the aspirations of athletes and create an atmosphere of sustained sporting excellence. Third, it will help tech-enable the identified academies to make them world class training centers.
The first cohort of supported academies range across five sporting disciplines, that comprise shooting, boxing, weightlifting, table tennis and badminton. The academies identified as the inaugural beneficiaries of the program are:
- Lakshya Shooting Club
- Mary Kom Regional Boxing Foundation
- Sathish Sivalingam Weightlifting Foundation
- Raman TT High Performance Centre
- Yadav Pro Badminton Academy
More academies may be considered for support as the program expands. A Champions Advisory Board has been created, comprising sports personalities that include former Indian shooter and Arjuna awardee Suma Shirur, former national table tennis champion B Bhuvaneswari, and amateur boxing champion and Padma Vibhushan awardee MC Mary Kom.
“We truly appreciate Infosys Foundation’s commitment to creating cutting-edge avenues for girls and young women to become sporting champions for India. The holistic model of the ‘Girls for Gold Program’ builds the ecosystem by investing in human and institutional capacity and creating talent pathways for future generations. We are confident of the impact that this unique program will have on the lives and careers of women athletes we will support and, more broadly, on Indian sport”, said, Deepthi Bopaiah, CEO – GoSports Foundation.
Sumit Virmani, Trustee, Infosys Foundation, said, “At Infosys Foundation, a deep-rooted focus on education and women empowerment have been a key priority over the years. Collaborating with GoSports Foundation furthers this long-standing commitment to empower aspiring women athletes with a holistic ecosystem that can help nurture their dreams. Excellence in sports is a driver of social change and we are confident that this collaboration will help these talented young women realize their potential in sports, in an environment amplified with scientific, and tech-enabled processes.”
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