ONGC - Fuels India's hopes

ONGC, the leading Oil & Natural Gas company of the nation has lend its support to the Indian Olympics contingent. As a principal sponsor of the Indian team, ONGC has declared lucartive awards to medalist, irrespective of whether they are ONGC employees or not.

The company came forward to give a warm send off to Indian Olympic hopefuls, namely, Jayanta Talukdar, Rahul Banerjee, Tarundeep Rai, Deepika Kumari, Laishram Bombayla Devi and Chekrovolu Swuro as well as two badminton players in Ashwini Ponapaa and V Diju. We at IOS thank ONGC for fueling India's hope through this warm felicitation!

Know your athlete - Garima Chaudhary

Leadership talk

Neerav Tomar,

Chief Operation Officer,

Infinity Optimal Solutions Private Limited

THE games have begun. We at IOS, along with the nation are keenly watching quadrennial mega sporting event unfolds. With the largest ever contingent from India, a number of medals are surely on our way. India is represented at a scale never before seen at any sporting event.  Furthermore, our athletes this time are very well prepared and represent an assortment of skills from across the sporting spectrum.

IOS is proud to be managing 21 Olympic medal miners. These include boxers, shooters and archers to name a few. They are like billboards, with the nation’s pride resting on their shoulders. As they head to London, they will face competition from all over the world. With the flag unfurled and flying, Indian athletes look to take on champions from around the world.

The modicum of comfort however comes from the fact that our athletes are primed for showdown. Many of them boast a track record that commands respect. We have the likes of Mary Kom one of the world’s foremost boxers. Having won five world championships apart from a host of other accolades to her credit, she is a force to be reckoned with. Ronjan Sodhi has won three 3 gold medals, the most notable being the Asian games’ medal. We also have ace archer Deepika Kumari who is the current world Champion in her sport. Deepika, A child prodigy; she has won the cadet world title before and is one of India’s brightest medal prospects. Deepika is already into the next round and we hope she finishes at the podium.

Apart from this, we have our hockey team, who are going to the Olympics after a considerable gap, in the back drop of their Olympics qualification. We also have players such as Ashwini Ponnappa who has proved her mettle in the South Asian games and the Commonwealth games. These are just a few of the many athletes that IOS is taking care of.

With the games in just a few days, enthusiasm is everywhere. With our athletes prepared for victory we at IOS Sports and Entertainment wish all athletes going to the Olympics, all the best.

-IOS Sports and Entertainment

Who are the pack leaders in the Indian contingent to Olympics?

India is sending the biggest ever contingent of 81 athletes to Olympics this year in London.  There are a few of them however that are above the rest.

28 year old Vikas Gowda, one of the most talented discus thrower. Born in Mysore, and brought up in Maryland, USA, he won a silver when he took part in the Asian Championships held in Incheon. In 2010 he won a bronze in the Asian Games and in the Commonwealth games. He even smashed his own record this year after achieving a 66.28m and clinching gold at Oklahoma. Vikas continues to be in great form and we are all hoping he will clinch a medal in London.

MC Mary Kom is one of the foremost woman boxer in the world. She has won the world championships 5 times already and also has the Arjuna, Padma Shri and Khel Ratna awards respectively to her credit. A mother of two, Mary Kom aka Magnificent Mary hails from Manipur is currently one of the foremost medal hopefuls among the Indian contingent.

The Archery team comprises of athletes like Rahul Banerjee and Deepika Kumari. Rahul brought India its first gold in the sport when he won in the youth world championship. Deepika is the current world champion archer and has won golds in the Commonwealth games. Together with Tarundeep Rai, Bombayla Devi and Chekrovolu Swuro, the archery team is all set for victory.

Saina Nehwal is currently ranked at no 5 in the world. With 21 titles under her belt she is one of the most feared names on the court.  With a Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, an Arjuna and a Padma Shri to her credit, a gold medal in the Olympics will only add to her great track record.

Last but not the least the shooting team with Ronjan Sodhi and Gagan Narang is a sure shot victory. Sodhi has won successive world cup titles and won silvers in the Commonwealth games. Narang on the other hand, has won golds in two Commonwealth games. He is the first Indian to win World Cup golds in all 3 Olympic Rifle events. He is also an Arjuna awardee.

These players are at the top of the pack when it comes to their sport. 

-IOS Sports and Entertainment

Glimpses from the Olympic village

The Olympic village currently serves as a home away from home for athletes coming from around the world. Built to accommodate over 10,000 athletes, it is a huge space that will act as a temporary living quarter for all athletes participating in the Olympics. 

It is located close to the Olympic stadium. This is to make it easier for athletes to get to their respective events from their rooms. The Village also has its own canteen wherein athletes can choose to eat the food that they like to eat.  To ensure a high level of security in and around the area, only athletes and members of the staff are allowed to occupy a room at the Olympic village. Family members of the athletes however, can meet them after going through security checks.

The Olympic stadium together with the Olympic village make up the Olympic park. The park has buildings that house the arenas for all the different sports, apart from the canteens and the buildings for the press. Food too is taken care of the Olympic committee. It is estimated that  232 tonnes of potatoes and 330 tonnes of fruit and vegetables will be consumed during game time.

The Olympic village is a marvelous example of efficient use of space and time. All this has been done to ensure that athletes from over 200 countries around the world live comfortably and go back with great memories of their time spent in the Olympic Village. We wish them all the best as they embark on their sporting journey they have prepared for last couple of years. May the best man win.

-IOS Sports and Entertainment

Moms breaking the norms and representing India at the World level

The mention of the word Mom, Maa or mother, brings to us myriad images of the care, warmth and love. Sports star? Maybe not. But perceptions are changing and importantly, ambitions of Indian mothers are changing.

Sample this: Mary Kom, a mother of two has won numerous gold medals. Some of these medals also come from the Asian Games. She is a household name and is one of the most famous athletes from India to qualify for the Olympics. Another mother donning Indian colors at Olympics 2012 is Krishna Poonia. Krishna, a mother of one is a very high potential discus thrower and needs no introduction. These are one of the foremost medal hopefuls among many moms going to the upcoming Olympics.

Managing the most difficult job, that of bringing up children and then perhaps and equally difficult job - that of managing the hopes of a billion plus nation is an unenviable position to be in. It requires courage of another kind, the likes which don't many possess.

The nation' ssupport and best wishes are with Mary and Krishna as they go ahead and face their battles. Their victories will certainly mark the beginning of a new chapter in the Indian sporting scenario where youngsters and mothers alike can fight for an Olympic medal!

-IOS Sports and Entertainment

Indian hockey team is ready to attack again!

Strategies have been formed, physical and psychological training done - its time for real action! The Indian hockey hopes are at an all time high. The fact that the Indian Hockey team has managed to qualify for the Olympics has stirred the nation.

The man behind this surprise turn of events is Michael Nobbs, Coach of the Indian Hockey team. After coming  on board, he took on the challenge of steering the team to success. It is abundantly evident that Nobbs has done a great job of instilling confidence in the team. His simple manta - play freeflowing attacking hockey! The team has an improved gameplay and an aggresive attacking style.

Key to India's chances are strikers Sandeep Singh, Sardar Singh, SV Sunil and the captain Bharat Chetri. With Coach Nobbs backing the team up, recent victories and a great set of skills, the Indian team is all set to chase the nation's Olympic medal dreams!

-IOS Sports and Entertainment

Know your athlete-Soniya Chanu

Know your athlete - Ronjan Sodhi

Know Your Athlete - Krishna Poonia

Know your athlete - Bharat Chettri

Know your athlete - Ashwini Ponnappa

Know Your athletes - Sardar Singh

Know Your Athletes - 'Sardaro Ka Sardar'- Sandeep Singh

Changing paradigms in sports brand endorsing in India.

Neerav Tomar,

Chief Operation Officer,

Infinity Optimal Solutions Private Limited.

Greetings of the sports season!

Here at IOS, it is always the season of sports. With delightful progress in almost every field of sport, we at IOS are in the game as ever. I’m proud to announce to you that, over the days we have been successful in our motive to mould and direct India’s best towards world class excellence. With the heroic success of our Indian Hockey team at the Sultan Azlan Shah Cup recently, our talent have proven that they deserve no less than being recognized as world class talent. We are also proud to have managed boxing talent like Mary Kom who will represent India while welcoming the debut of Women’s Boxing in the historic Olympics.  With such enormous progress in the country’s participation in international events, the celebrity endorsement market has witnessed an unusual boost in advertisers wanting to have their brands endorsed by these new-found heroes. Why?

Well, Why not?

According to industry analysts, Sports branding in India is seen expanding its horizon past various paradigms. Sports persons who relied on limited endorsements and media attention are now able to command their end of deals. Bollywood/Cricket celebrities who used to manifest endorsements on city hoardings are today replaced by sports personalities. Sports personalities like Saina Nehwal and Vijender Singh are huge on this front. Saina Nehwal has bagged several endorsements like Airtel, Emami Ltd and Deccan Chronicle. Star players of the hockey team endorse brand Mansion House, among many. Sports personalities like Gautam Gambhir, Mary Kom, Vijender Singh, Saina Nehwal and Sushil Kumar have followed Amitabh Bachchan to be brand endorsers of Emami Ltd. Such deals with big-shot companies catapult our new-found talent into the club of the leading brands and also enhance their brand equities. After making the nation proud in several international events, these sports personalities have now been accommodated in the big league of sports endorsements.

Also by doing this, the brand manages to attract a fair amount of people who’ve recognized the potential of this new talent and extend their support. The brand thus, garners new consumers and toggles a new trend.

Be it a new trend or the need of advertisers to tap the potential of a new market; our talent are in demand by advertisers waiting to get their brand endorsed. Crossing the conventional boundaries of cricket, this trend will serve the needs of the new faces of talent in India. Not only to get them attention, but to get them the support and encouragement they require making our nation proud. With the golden event dawning, it’s the time for victory, the time for champions.

Driven by the same passion that drives our talent, we at IOS are constantly promoting and exhibiting Indian talent in pursuit of maintaining the love, passion and diversity of sports in India.  IOS is where talent is.

                                                                                                           - IOS Sports and Entertainment

Amit Kumar and Yogeshwar Dutt make the cut for Olympics

Yogeshwar Dutt and Amit Kumar, wrestlers who hail from Haryana have managed to qualify for the Olympics after they beat their opponents at the Asian Qualification tournament that was held in Kazakhstan.

Yogeshwar dutt, who has a number of wins to his credit including two golds at the Commonwealth games managed to grab silver in the Qualification rounds. He could not get gold as he lost to Iranian Mahmoud Masoud Esmaeilpoorjouybari in the final with a score of 2-3 and 0-1. Amit Kumar however, who is a newcomer to the sport, managed to win gold after he defeated Japanese wrestler Shinichi Yumoto with a score of 5-0. He shows promise as he has one gold medal to his credit at the Asian Junior Championship last year.

This ensured that they both managed to procure a berth for this year’s Olympics. 

-         IOS Sports and Entertainment.

Mary Kom and MS Dhoni among most marketable athletes in the world

UK based Sports Pro magazine has rated Dhoni and Mary Kom, 16^th and 38^th respectively at their marketability. Out of a total of 50 athletes, Mary and Dhoni secured their spots on the list after editors looked at their charisma, willingness to be marketed, crossover appeal, age, home market and value for money.

Dhoni is considered to be one of the world’s best paid cricketers. This is hardly surprising as he has proven himself a number of times on the field. His moment of fame came when he managed to steer the Indian team to a world cup victory last year. With 20 brand endorsements in his bag and with leadership skills that shine, Dhoni is first sign of a legend to be. Mary Kom however, is already a legend, since she is the only Indian boxer to have won the world champion five times. With a host of other records, and the fact that she had to face a number of social and monetary challenges to pursue her passion makes her life sound like a fairy tale.

The fact that she is a mother of two and her down-to-earth and humble nature means that she has a unique cult status. If she comes back with gold this year, she will bag a vast number of endorsements.  

-         IOS Sports and Entertainment.

Indian Men’s Hockey team qualifies for the Olympics.

The Indian men’s Hockey team, managed to qualify for the Olympics after they beat France 8-1 in the final round of the qualification tournament that was held in New Delhi. This was a big moment for India as India has finally managed to qualify for the Olympics after many decades.

Furthermore, the team did not want to repeat what happened at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 where they missed the berth by a very small margin. This fact only pushed the team more to win as they managed to defeat France. The French team found it impossible to counter the Indian team’s relentless shots. So much so, that both teams earned seven penalty corners each.

However, players such as Sandeep Singh and SV Sunil kept pushing against their opponents. This culminated into a match which India won. This match has also ensured that the Indian men’s Hockey team goes to the Olympics after a very long time.

-         IOS Sports and Entertainment.

Abhinav Bindra qualifies for the Olympic games

With five gold medals to his credit, one of which he won at the Beijing Olympics, Abhinav Bindra shows promise.

The 29 year old qualified for this year’s Olympics after he managed to score 52.6 points in the shooting world cup that was held in Munich. Although he held himself at the eighth position, he had to face a difficult shoot off among nine other finalists. However in the end, he succeeded in making the cut and managed to acquire a berth for the Olympics.

Fact is, Abhinav Bindra has won gold in nearly every championship he has participated. Furthermore he has won one of these gold medals in the Beijing Olympics that was held in 2008. Going by this track record, many consider him to perform the same way this year too. May the best man win.

-         IOS Sports and Entertainment.