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Tag: Dream Sports Foundation

  • Dream Sports Foundation and UTT team up to serve India’s next table tennis champs

    Dream Sports Foundation and UTT team up to serve India’s next table tennis champs

    MUMBAI: In a sharp backhand boost to grassroots talent, Dream Sports Foundation (DSF) and Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) have joined forces to launch ‘Dream UTT Juniors’ — a one-of-a-kind under-15 table tennis tournament designed to offer rising stars a taste of the big league.

    The initiative will see eight top-performing boys and girls from the recently concluded Dream Sports Championship Table Tennis 2025 drafted into UTT franchises. These young athletes will compete alongside the sixth season of the Ultimate Table Tennis league, scheduled from 29 May to 8 June in Ahmedabad, with matches streamed live on Fancode.

    “At Dream Sports, we are driven by our vision to ‘Make Sports Better’”, said Dream Sports CEO & co-founder Harsh Jain. “Thanks to Vita Dani and Niraj Bajaj, Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) has played a pivotal role in nurturing India’s table tennis talent to compete & win at the global stage. But there remains a pressing need to support grassroots talent, and our partnership to create Dream UTT Juniors is a big step toward bridging this gap. Through our Dream Sports Foundation, we aim to empower the next generation of athletes to make India proud in the 2030 Youth Olympics and thereafter at the 2036 Olympics”.

    Dream UTT Juniors marks a pivotal extension of DSF’s mission to build from the base. The U-15 stars were selected through a national talent pool, shaped during DSF and the Table Tennis Federation of India’s earlier initiative—one lauded for professionalism and intensity rarely seen at this level.

    “Dream UTT Juniors is a natural extension of our shared vision with Dream Sports Foundation — to strengthen the foundation of sport in India and empower young athletes”, added UTT co-promoter Vita Dani. “By giving budding table tennis talent early exposure to the world-class UTT ecosystem, we’re not just launching a tournament — we’re creating a pathway for the next generation of Indian stars to emerge”.

    Since 2017, UTT has helped rewrite the script for Indian table tennis, providing domestic talent the platform to share space with international champions. Now, Dream UTT Juniors aims to embed that exposure early in the athlete journey.

    With this initiative, DSF and UTT aim to establish a structured pipeline that bridges school-level promise with professional readiness. As Indian table tennis gains new traction, this partnership might just deliver India’s future champions.

  • Dream Sports Foundation (DSF) launches ‘Dream Sports Championship’

    Dream Sports Foundation (DSF) launches ‘Dream Sports Championship’

    Mumbai: Dream Sports Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dream Sports, a sports technology company, has launched Dream Sports Championship (DSC), a national football tournament scheduled for April and May, spanning six key football hubs in India. As the country’s only second such U17 Football Competition, DSC will serve as a catalyst for identifying young talent, with the potential to represent the nation on an international stage.

    Featuring teams from major AIFF-accredited clubs and academies, the competition seeks to elevate youth-based competitions in Indian football, providing aspiring champions a platform to showcase their skills at the highest level. With the involvement of the All India Football Federation (AIFF), this tournament offers players a pathway to selection for the National Camp in June.

    Commenting about the launch, Dream Sports COO & co-founder Bhavit Sheth said, “We believe that the path to creating world-class champions is by building long-term and sustainable programs. In addition to our already existing grassroot training and mentorship programs, we have now added high-quality competition and avenues for early talent identification via Dream Sports Championship. This platform will help scouts tap into India’s vast potential at an early stage and groom potential talent. We are thankful to AIFF for its support and look forward to DSC becoming a springboard for identification of future national champions.”

    Dream Sports Foundation plans to expand the scope of Dream Sports Championships in the coming years, aiming to incorporate a wider range of sports. In the upcoming 2024 football edition, participating teams will kick off their journey in the Regional Round Phase. Spanning across six cities — Mumbai, Delhi, Shillong, Kolkata, Bengaluru, and Goa — the Regional Round Phase is scheduled from 1 to 18 April to April. Subsequently, the top eight teams will advance to the national final slated for May 2024 in Mumbai.

    The Kolkata and Mumbai legs will start on 1 April and continue till 7 and 8 April respectively. The remaining four legs of the tournament will subsequently take place in Shillong, Delhi, Bengaluru, and Goa.

    Embed link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5JKoSkS7MM/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA

  • Mary Kom, Bhaichung Bhutia & Dilip Vengsarkar extend best wishes to Indian team for 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022

    Mary Kom, Bhaichung Bhutia & Dilip Vengsarkar extend best wishes to Indian team for 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022

    Mumbai: The much-awaited 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 is here and the excitement surrounding it continues to grow. For India, 655 athletes have been selected to represent the country at the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. With India sending one of their biggest contingents to the Asian Games, it is their best chance yet to take the medal tally into three figures for the first time with the support of a billion hearts.

    Eight athletes from the DreamGold program by the Dream Sports Foundation have qualified for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022.  These include: Pranavi Urs (golf), Sreeja Akula (table tennis), Nethra Kumanan (sailing), Ishwariya Ganesh (sailing), Advait Page (swimming), KM Chanda (athletics-800m), Jyothi Surekha Vennam (compound archery) and Bharath Pereira (sport climbing).

    Dream Sports Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dream Sports, India’s leading sports technology company with brands such as Dream11, FanCode and DreamSetGo in its portfolio on Saturday sent their best wishes to the Indian contingent for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, Asia’s biggest sporting extravaganza, which kicked-off on Saturday, 23 September, 2023.

    Padma Vibhushan & 2012 London Olympic Bronze medalist and advisor to DSF, M.C Mary Kom, said she is confident that the Tricolour will fly at the grand stage. In her message, she said, “I would like to extend my best wishes to the contingent for the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. I am sure that their hard work and the efforts put in by them over the past years will bear fruit and they will scale new heights and bring back laurels for the country. All of these athletes have had a stellar season in the lead up to the Asian Games and I am looking forward to seeing these young athletes making a name for themselves in their respective event.”

    Former Indian football team captain and advisor to DSF Bhaichung Bhutia also wished the contingent as they set to take the stage. He said, “The Asian Games are the pinnacle of sporting excellence in Asia. All of the athletes have put in years of dedication, hard work and it is their continuous perseverance in their sporting journey that has taken them to the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. I am looking forward to seeing Indian athletes make a mark on the international stage. As they prepare to etch their names in history, my best wishes are with them. Interestingly, 50% of the Indian contingent are women. We should build on this going forward”

    Meanwhile, former Indian cricketer and administrator, Dilip Vengsarkar also wished the athletes. He said, “This Asian Games will be especially special for me considering Cricket is coming back after 2014.  The entire country is eagerly looking forward to this edition of the Asian Games and will be cheering loudly for you all.”

    Dream Sports chief operating officer and co-founder Bhavit Sheth said, “This year, India is sending the biggest contingent ever to the Asian Games. Dream Sports salutes their passion, dedication and perseverance. On behalf of the entire Dream Sports family and Dream Sports Foundation, we wish them the very best. Let their achievements inspire us to becoming a true sporting nation and fuel the dreams of generations to come.”

     

     

  • Back on Track: Dream Sports Foundation lends support to sports professionals

    KOLKATA: Dream Sports Foundation (DSF), the philanthropic arm of Dream Sports has successfully supported over 3,500 sports professionals across 29 sports during the pandemic as part of its Back on Track programme launched last year.

    Out of the 3,500 beneficiaries, 3,300 are current and retired athletes, over 100 are coaches, and more than 70 are sports support staff and journalists. The beneficiaries are from 24 states and three union territories in India, it said on Friday.

    The onset of the Covid 19 pandemic has disrupted life at many levels leading to job and income loss across industries and sectors, including sports and the programme has been able to help people in need from the sports industry by providing financial aid, training, and sports equipment support, coaching, proper diet and nutrition, monthly stipends, and hygiene kits.

    To ensure that the aid reached the most affected members of the Indian sports ecosystem, DSF also helped 16 NGOs across the country, including Nav Sahyog Foundation, Dribble Academy, Nagaland Football Foundation, The Right Pitch, The Ball Project, and many more. DSF supported sports journalists through the Playfield magazine initiative who had lost their jobs due to the COVID crisis. 

    Speaking about the programme, Dream Sports & Dream11 COO & co-founder Bhavit Sheth said, “Owing to the lack of opportunities and resources due to the pandemic, many sports professionals and athletes were giving up on their dreams as they were unable to sustain themselves. We wanted to help them land on their feet and take strides towards their personal and sporting goals through ‘Back on Track’. We are glad that we could reach several sports beneficiaries pan-India and provide integral support within the last nine months.”

    One of the beneficiaries of ‘Back on Track’ is Rani Laxmi Bai Sports Academy, Bihar, which gives girls from disadvantaged backgrounds the opportunity to play sports at state, national and international levels. Academy’s founder, Sanjay Pathak said, “We are grateful for such initiatives that have made a significant difference for our 55 senior students, who play football and handball. They have helped in retaining their dreams of playing sports, especially during these difficult times. The girls played with a single pair of shoes for one whole year, but thanks to Dream Sports Foundation’s support, they now have multiple pairs of high-quality shoes and sports kits essential for national-level players. The monetary support is also helping us provide better nutrition to the students.”