Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5 crore: JSW Sports eyes golden deals for athletes

JSW Sports, the celebrity sports management agency of JSW Group, is currently assessing a range of deals, varying from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 5 crore, depending on the stature of the individual athlete and the scope of the sponsorship deal.

These deals encompass a wide spectrum, from product support to influencer campaigns, content partnerships, brand endorsements, and appearances.

The agency has also signed on Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra and has already successfully closed three to four big endorsement deals for him.

JSW Sports also manages a roster of other athletes, which includes Avinash Sable (3,000m steeplechase), Parul Chaudhary (5,000m steeplechase), Amoj Jacob, Muhammad Ajmal, and Rajesh Ramesh (4x400 men’s relay), among others.

Outside the Asian Games, notable winners include Jemimah Rodrigues (cricket), Shafali Verma (cricket), and Pawan Sehrawat (kabaddi).

Divyanshu Singh, chief operating officer of JSW Sports, said, “We have already closed three to four big endorsement deals for Neeraj Chopra since he is the poster boy of Indian sports right now. His annual endorsement range is Rs 4-5 crore.”

According to sources with inside knowledge, Neeraj Chopra has signed brand sponsorships with Under Armour, Gillette, Noise, Tata AIA Life Insurance, Swiss Tourism, and Limca Sportz.

Murali Sreeshankar (long jump) has partnered Puma, Toyota (a global brand deal), and Limca Sportz, while Jemima Rodrigues has secured deals with Hyundai, Nike, and Crocs.

Shafali Verma has inked deals with CEAT Tyres, Google, Nike, and Hyundai.

Singh explained that one of the biggest challenges to the marketability of Olympic athletes and sports in India has been a lack of awareness. Therefore, the agency collaborates closely with brands to boost the marketing efforts of these athletes who deserve more recognition for their contributions to Indian sports and nation-building.

“We are witnessing strong interest from categories like sports apparel, nutrition, wearables, banking, financial services and insurance, etc. What’s most interesting is to see a lot of first-time investors, especially international brands, investing in Olympic sports talent,” Singh said.

He added, “From a global perspective, Toyota has signed Murali Sreeshankar as a global athlete, and Limca Sportz has tied up with multiple athletes, including Tejaswin Shankar, who made history by clinching India’s first decathlon medal since 1974.”

At the recently concluded Asian Games, 31 athletes were part of the JSW Sports camp, and these athletes contributed to India’s total haul of 107 medals with 17 of their own.

“Additionally, we have also supported the entire boxing and shooting contingent representing India at the just-concluded Asian Games through our partnership with the National Rifle Association of India and the Boxing Federation of India,” Singh noted.

The group entered this space due to a significant gap in the training, development, and funding opportunities for athletes pursuing a career in sports in the country.

“We launched the Sports Excellence Program as our proprietary corporate social responsibility project to support Indian Olympic athletes. Over the years, we have also introduced various interventions across all our direct impact zones to identify and nurture young rural sporting talent. These sporting talents are identified at an early age, and our team helps to develop their skills through a holistic programme,” said Sangita Jindal, chairperson of JSW Foundation.

She explained that these athletes are later taken to the Inspire Institute of Sport for further training to prepare them for international championships.

“Through our focus on world-class training infrastructure, coaching, and sports science, we are confident of nurturing a new generation of Olympic sports champions for India,” Jindal emphasised.