GoSports Foundation

Warmest birthday wishes to our Trustee, Abishek Laxminarayan! 🎉 We are deeply grateful for his guidance and support on our journey. His enduring vision of empowering India to achieve sporting excellence and nurturing champions continues to inspire us as we strive towards our goals! #happybirthday #celebrations #trustee #motivation #guidance #gosportsfoundation #changethescript

𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟗𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝐬𝐭; 𝐀 𝐣𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. It was a special moment for Dharambir as he won his first-ever Gold at the Games in Paris. His success is not only a personal triumph but a beacon of hope for many. Hailing from Sonipat, Haryana, Dharambir's life took an unexpected turn after a diving accident led to paralysis below the waist. It was in this challenging moment that he discovered para-sports in 2014, finding a new path under the mentorship of fellow athlete Amit Kumar Saroha. During the previous two appearances at the Games, he secured 9th place in Rio (2016) and 8th in Tokyo (2020). Through regular training and a lot of mental conditioning, during these last 4 years, he has been able to outperform himself in Paris. From 8th place to achieving the yellow metal, it marks a testament to his journey of resilience. Even under high pressure during competitions, he is seen to be very calm and collected. This mental strength to cut out all the external noise, along with his hard work and perseverance, were essential to him setting a new Asian record of 34.92m at the Games in Paris. In 2015, he was inducted into the Para Champions Programme, an initiative dedicated to supporting and empowering para athletes throughout their Paralympic journeys and beyond. The vision and belief of our partners IndusInd Bank, AT&T and Gameskraft have been instrumental for the programme and for the entire para sports ecosystem. We have been able to support him with access to competitions and equipment. Nandan Kamath | Abishek Laxminarayan | Unmish PARTHASARATHI | Meghana Narayan | Deepthi Bopaiah #paralympic #game #sport #motivation #resilience #medal #medalist #clubthrow #gosportsfoundation #changethescript

𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬. An IAS officer by the day and a badminton player by night. Suhas Yathiraj embodies the spirit of hustle and passion. Suhas Yathiraj is an engineer, an IAS officer and a two-time Paralympic Medalist.  Raised in a small village in Karnataka, Suhas faced difficulties early on. Born with an ankle impairment, he has shown that determination and resilience can conquer any obstacle. He excelled in academics, earned a degree in engineering, and later joined the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), where he served with distinction. Suhas had always been a sports enthusiast and loved playing badminton from his school days. In 2016, he inaugurated a badminton tournament in Azamgarh, UP, where he was posted as District Collector. He was able to beat a few of the state-level able-bodied players. He was reluctant to play professionally as he had lots of responsibilities as the District Collector. However, after a few months, he started to play badminton professionally. He balanced his dual roles as an IAS officer and a para-badminton player by meticulously managing his schedule. He trained early in the morning or late in the night to fit around his administrative duties and took time off during major tournaments. This balancing act was supported by his colleagues and family, allowing him to excel in both fields. His story highlights time management and dedication, proving that it is possible to thrive in demanding careers with the right support and commitment. Yesterday, he clinched another silver in the SL 4 category of Men’s Singles Badminton at the Games in Paris. In 2017, he became a part of the foundation through our Para Champions Programme, a nine-year-old program, a pioneer in structuring support to para-athletes and empowering them on their Paralympic journeys and beyond. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners IndusInd Bank, AT&T and Gameskraft Foundation for their continued support and belief in the parasports ecosystem. Nandan Kamath | Abishek Laxminarayan | Unmish PARTHASARATHI | Meghana Narayan | Deepthi Bopaiah #IAS #badminton #parasports #athlete #adminstration #silvermedal #inspiring #motivation #gosportsfoundation #changethescript

Meet Sharad Kumar, the remarkable Para-High Jumper from Bihar who has defied the odds and shattered records! Contracting polio at just two years old couldn't hold him back. He focused on his studies, discovered his passion for high jumping, and trained alone, participating in numerous competitions and winning medals. But his journey wasn't without its challenges. After a disappointing performance at the World Championships and Asian Games trials, he considered quitting. However, his family's constant motivation and the support from the Foundation reignited his fire. With just months to go before the Paralympics, Sharad pushed himself to the limit, training in the Philippines and overcoming subpar performance and a faltering support system. And when his spikes didn't fit right just days before his event, the Foundation team sprang into action, ensuring he had the right gear. Sharad's association with the Foundation since 2017 has been inspiring and with the support of our corporate partners- IndusInd Bank, AT&T & Gameskraft Foundation, providing high-performance training and mental conditioning support became easy. And now, he's a two-time Paralympic medalist, with a silver medal in Paris and recorded his best jump at the Paralympics. Sharad's story is a shining example of resilience and determination. Nandan Kamath | Abishek Laxminarayan | Unmish PARTHASARATHI | Meghana Narayan | Deepthi Bopaiah #resilience #paraathletes #gosportsfoundation #csr #csrpartners #sport #changinglifethroughsport #changethescript

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧! At dawn, the sand glimmered like an ocean of gold and, amidst that, standing tall were the pehlwans (wrestlers), completing their bout of kushti with some training hard with the gadas (maces). This is a typical scenario in the local wrestling centre in Haryana. Haryana has been a goldmine for wrestling, providing the playground for numerous international champions from India. Like many other kids growing up in Haryana and motivated by these champions, Sumit Antil aspired to be an international wrestler. He took up the sport and was training hard. However, on 5 January 2015, 17-year-old Sumit's life took an unexpected turn. He had an accident while returning home on his motorbike, resulting in the amputation of his left leg. This was a huge setback, but Sumit would not let that come in the way of his sporting dreams. In 2017, he was introduced to the world of para-sports in Delhi. He began training with rigour and discipline. Training never came easy, with his prosthetic leg oozing blood and causing a great amount of pain and discomfort. At GoSports Foundation our association with Sumit began in 2019 under our Para Champions Program. With the support of our partners, we helped Sumit procure a custom prosthetic leg for the first time. This helped minimize the risk of injuries, such as stress fractures or muscle strains, and also helped with natural and efficient movements, improving speed, agility, and overall performance. In 2019, at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Italy, he created history when he broke the World Record in the F64 category en route to winning silver in the Combined Event. Sumit rose from strength to strength, clinching the silver medal at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships, Dubai, breaking his own world record in the F64 category. At the Tokyo Paralympics Sumit coasted to the gold in truly dominant fashion, obliterating the world record 3 times in the process. Constantly striving to improve, it wasn’t long before Sumit broke his own record, yet again, throwing 73.29m at the Asian Para Games, China. Yesterday, he achieved a memorable feat of #breaking the #Paralympic Record and sealing another Paralympic gold medal for India. He became only second Indian para-athlete to defend a Paralympic title. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners IndusInd Bank, AT&T and Gameskraft Foundation for their continued support and belief in the para-sports ecosystem and for helping us put India on the global sporting map. Nandan Kamath | Abishek Laxminarayan | Unmish PARTHASARATHI | Meghana Narayan | Deepthi Bopaiah #paralympics #gold #sumitantil #paralympicgames #gosportsfoundation #changethescript #cheerforchampions #cheer4bharat

The Gameskraft Foundation is proud to support the athletes' journey through our partnership with GoSports Foundation’s '𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺𝗺𝗲'. This initiative has provided holistic support to emerging para-athletes, empowering them to #excel and #inspire. Their journey to excellence is a result of countless hours of training, and the tireless efforts of their coaches, families, and support staff. Wishing them the best for achieving glory at the world's biggest sporting stage! #GameskraftFoundation #LifeAtGameskraft #Sports #InItToWinIt Rishi Wadhera | Jayashree Basu | Sagar Telakula | Akhil Kumar Singh

At Fusion, we believe in making dreams a reality! Our long-standing partnership with the GoSports Foundation is a testimony to our commitment towards sports, especially para-sports. We are proud to cheer for our amazing champions as they follow their dreams and conquer new heights. Here's to fuelling passion and celebrating victories, Happy National Sports Day to all the sportspersons out there!

Archer Rakesh Kumar’s journey of Courage and Resilience! In the picturesque valley of Kashmir, on the foothills of Katra, a young boy picked up his cricket bat aspiring to be a cricketer. The ambition of every growing adolescent but not everyone could transcend that into a reality. The same was the story of Rakesh Kumar, a para archer, who just broke a #worldrecord with #SheetalDevi in the mixed compound archery in the ongoing Games in Paris and also won the Bronze medal for India. Growing up, Rakesh dreamt of being a sportsperson but the lack of facilities back in the day resisted it in many ways. His love for the country wanted him to be an army person but sports was destined in his life. In 2009, on a Tuesday morning, the car he was travelling in fell into a 400 ft gorge, killing 5 people and 4 injured. He was one of the 4 survivors but that left him being wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life. For 6 years till 2013, he was accustomed to bed. Overwhelmed by pain and despair, he contemplated ending his life thrice. But, with the support of his friends and family, he started to back himself. In 2013, he opened a roadside mobile recharge shop to distract himself. Destiny played its role in 2017 when a coach spotted him at his shop. Looking at his body structure, the coach asked him to try archery. Being absolutely clueless about archery, he was reluctant to try it. At the insistence of the coach, he turned up for practice. In one glance, he decided to pursue the archery. His family supported him to pursue archery and he took up archery on 27th June 2017, giving him a moment of rebirth. Since then, Rakesh has won medals for India at Para-Archery competitions all over the world and is looking to add more medals to his collection. Rakesh’s tale is a beautiful story which depicts the role sport can play in changing one’s life in unimaginable ways. In 2019, he became a part of the foundation through our Para Champions Programe, a nine-year-old program, a pioneer in structuring support to para athletes and empowering them on their Paralympic journeys and beyond. We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our partners IndusInd Bank, AT&T and Gameskraft Foundation for their continued support and belief in the parasports ecosystem. Nandan Kamath | Abishek Laxminarayan | Unmish PARTHASARATHI | Meghana Narayan | Deepthi Bopaiah The Logical Indian #resilience #paraathletes #changethescript #csr #csrpartners #motivation #sport #archery #changinglifethroughsport #changethescript

The Indian Paralympic movement is a beacon of hope, showcasing the incredible resilience and determination of athletes with disabilities. Despite facing numerous challenges, Indian Paralympians have consistently exceeded expectations and brought immense pride to the nation. Their achievements have not only inspired millions but have also played a crucial role in promoting inclusivity and breaking down societal barriers. With 84 Para athletes, this is India's biggest contingent to take part at the Games in Paris. From Paralympic veterans to debutants, we have it all. 16 athletes supported by the Foundation will be representing India in six different para sports at the Games in Paris. Thanks to our partners- Hyundai Motor India Ltd. IndusInd Bank, AT&T, Gameskraft, for their continued support and belief in the Indian Paralympic movement. Together, let's create a wave of support for our Para-athletes, cheering them on to even greater heights. #Indiansports #paraathletes #paralympics #GSFAtParis #changethescript

The best part about my Hindu column is I get to select a new amazing person every fortnight and learn so much every single time. This week it’s my favourite sports “enthusiast” Nandan Kamath who turned his passion into his profession.