Religare felicitates Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, Tokyo Paralympic badminton silver medalist, along with other fellow Olympians Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and Yogeshwar Dutt
Religare Group, a diversified financial services conglomerate, today announced the Group’s commitment to promote sports and athletics in the country and said it will sponsor deserving athletes and sporting institutions. Dr. Saluja was speaking at an event held today in New Delhi to felicitate Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj, Tokyo Paralympic badminton silver medallist and world ranking No. 2 player, along with other fellow Olympians Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and Yogeshwar Dutt. The event was graced by former HRD minister and BJP veteran, Murli Manohar Joshi.
Dr. Rashmi Saluja, Executive Chairperson of Religare Group said, “Not only is sports critical for the development of the youth and society but it is an important tool towards nation-building since it fosters national pride and unity. We at Religare have taken a solemn pledge to promote sports and athletics in the country in a meaningful way by sponsoring deserving athletes and sporting institutions. We are proud of our association with these champions including Suhas, Ravi Dahiya, Bajrang Punia and Yogeshwar Dutt. I am confident that the youth of the country will get inspired by these champions and many more names will soon emerge in this arena.”
Congratulating Religare and Dr. Rashmi Saluja, Former HRD Minister Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi said that it was a proud moment to sit beside Paralympic and Olympic winners and grace the occasion. “I congratulate Dr. Rashmi Saluja and the entire Religare team for organizing the event. The paralympic event had got traction for the first time during the Prime Ministership of Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee when I was the HRD minister. Sports ministry used to be part of HRD ministry then. The word ‘Divyang’ has a special meaning. It emphasised that they are not disabled but specially created by God. I would like that our country should take a lead in organizing a championship in which both Divyangs and the rest equally participate. I am confident that Divyangs would perform well.”
Religare Broking Limited had sponsored Suhas Lalinakere Yathiraj for the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. In addition to being a world-class para-badminton player, Suhas is also an IAS officer of the 2007 batch and District Magistrate of Gautam Buddha Nagar (Noida), Uttar Pradesh. Being a working and committed IAS officer, it wasn’t easy for him to prepare for the Paralympic Games. Religare Broking’s sponsorship’s backed Suhas’s exceptional talent and determination with all the assistance he needed on his road to qualify and participate in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
“I thank Religare and Dr. Saluja for honouring the Olympics and Paralympic players. Playing in the event was a very tough journey. My family always stood by my side. The death of my father was a moment that shook my life. I worked hard on my passion for playing badminton. As a DM I was participating in an event in a district of UP. I later became the first unseeded player to win the Asian championship. It was tough to balance my work as DM of Noida and playing badminton for my country,” Suhas LY said.
Speaking about the company’s involvement and commitment towards promoting sports in India, Nitin Aggarwal, CEO, Religare Broking Limited said, “Badminton is a popular sport due to its agility, speed and passion and these are also the values that resonate with the ethos of Religare Broking. In Suhas, we truly found a perfect match of a persona that gives us as well as the nation a belief that we can be the best in the world if we are determined to become so.”
“I had never seen a medal before. I did not know how the gold medal looked, but I will now work for it,” said Yogeshwar Dutt, who won a bronze medal in the 2012 London Olympics.
Appreciating the Religare for organizing the event, Bajrang said, “We feel responsible when we get felicitated at such event.”
Rajeev Mehta, Secretary-General, Indian Olympic Association hoped that “In the upcoming international events in 2022, India looks forward to emerging in the top five medal holder countries. We aim to double the monetary award given to our winning players by 2024. We hope that Dr. Rashmi Saluja will help in our efforts.”
