India recorded the best performance in Olympic history during Tokyo Olympic 2020. Indian Olympic participants made the country proud by winning seven medals(1 Gold, 2 Silver, 4 Bronze). Not only that, but Indian Athlete Neeraj Chopra created history by winning the first Gold medal ever as an Athlete.
The International Olympic Committee(IOC), State Governments, and the money-rich Board of Control for Cricket in India(BCCI) showered cash prizes and other rewards for the Olympic heroes. But Indian private brands are also not behind in terms of rewarding the Olympic Medal winners. Here is what different Indian brands gave to the Medal winners:
Byju’s Leads Reward Race for Olympic Champions
Byju’s, the most valuable Indian startup, leads from the front in terms of announcing rewards for Olympic winners. The edtech giant announced a reward of Rs 2 crore for Neeraj Chopra who won a Gold Medal in the Javelin Throw category during the Tokyo Olympic 2020.
Not only that, but the startup also announced a reward of Rs 1 crore for other individual Olympic medal winners including Mirabai Chanu, Ravi Kumar Dahiya, Lovlina Borgohain, PV Sindhu, and Bajrang Punia. The edtech firm has also announced Rs 1 crore for the Indian Hockey team for winning a Bronze in the Tokyo Olympic 2020.
Talking about the announcement, Byju Raveendran, Founder and CEO said, “Sports has a critical role to play in nation-building and it’s time that we celebrate our Olympic heroes, not just once in 4 years, but every single day. They deserve all the adoration they get, and after this historic achievement at Tokyo 2020, we are rewarding the players for their efforts, sacrifices, and achievements.”
He further added that we should transform ourselves from Sport loving nation to sport playing nation.
Indigo, Go First, Elan Group, and Mahindra Group Announce Rewards for Olympic Medal Winners
IndiGo Airlines praised the Javelin Throw Gold Medalist Neeraj Chopra for creating history and making billions of Indians proud. The airline announced one year of free travel for Neeraj by Indigo.
While Go First, previously known as GoAir, has offered free travel up to 2025 for all medal winners. “A token of appreciation for those who brought us glory at #Olympics2021. We are happy to offer free travel on our network for 5 years to all medal winners,” Go First said in a tweet.
Gurugram-based realty firm Elan group Chairman Rakesh Kapoor on Saturday announced to award Rs 25 lakh for Neeraj Chopra, the second Gold Medalist for India.
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra while announcing a free XUV 700 for Neeraj Chopra said that it is my privilege to gift an XUV to Javelin Star. He also requested Indian PM Narendra Modi to release commemorative coins depicting Chopra.
Healthians, CSK, and Domino’s Announcement for Olympic Stars
Healthians, a health brand supported by ex-cricketer Yuvraj Singh, has also announced free healthcare screening for all Tokyo Olympics participants from India. In addition, medal winners will be able to avail 10 years of free health checkup packages from the company.
While announcing the rewards, Yuvraj said, “India needs more sportspeople to put us on the World map with mega wins and participate in international sporting events such as Olympics, which is considered the pinnacle for sports. Just your participation means that you are among the best, and such people deserve every acclaim, honor, and endowment.”
Chennai Super Kings(CSK), the most successful IPL franchise, also came forward to reward the Olympic heroes. CSK not only announced the Rs 1 crore cash prize for Neeraj Chopra, but it also decided to release a jersey with 8758 number that is the winning score of Chopra in the final of Javeline throw.
Mirabai Chanu, the weight lifting silver medal winner, has signed a deal with Domino’s, India’s largest food services brand. Due to her love for Pizza, the company has also announced lifetime free pizza for the Olympic winner.
JSW Signs Long Term Deal with Chopra and Punia
JSW Sports has also signed a long-term deal with Neeraj Chopra and Bajrang Punia to manage their endorsement deals. The collaboration will continue at least up to the next Olympics that will be held in Paris in 2024.
As per the internal sources, the endorsement deals for both medal winners have skyrocketed from Rs 20- 30 lakhs to over Rs 2 crore per year. JSW Group Spokesperson declined to comment anything about endorsement deals due to certain agreements with the athletes.
Currently, Chopra has a collaboration with different sector brands including Gillette, Exxon Mobile, and Muscle Blaze, while Punia has a contractual agreement with Asics, Optimum Nutrition, Thums Up Exxon Mobil, and Moj.
That is not it. Indian brands are lined up to sign Indian Olympic stars for different endorsements. More rewards and deals will be announced soon for the Olympic winners.
