The agreement will see Nirmal support the development of grassroots athletics infrastructure in India. The IAAF will run clinics, send its coaches and ambassador athletes to identify talent across India and also train promising athletes as part of the agreement.
“Even if 10 corporates like us come forward to support the sport, it might not be enough for a huge country like India with 1.2 billion people,” said Nirmal chairman Dharmesh Jain. “So I welcome more corporates to come forward and take initiatives to promote athletics among the youth and uplift the standards of the sport in India.”
IAAF ambassador Mike Powell told Reuters: “The goal is to try to promote athletics from a young age in a planned environment, making sure that the athletes are getting together with knowledgeable coaches and a programme where you can identify talent.”
The world record holder in the long jump added: “I am sure there's a lot of talent out there. I love working with kids and this is a perfect marriage for me. The ultimate goal is to have more success at the international level.”
