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Tag: Nita Ambani

  • Nita Ambani gets elected at Rio and becomes the first Indian woman in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

    Nita Ambani gets elected at Rio and becomes the first Indian woman in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

    MUMBAI: International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that leading Indian philanthropist and the Founder chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani, has been elected as an individual member of the IOC, and will become India’s first woman to join the prestigious body.

    Nita Ambani is the only individual member from India and her appointment at the world body is until she attains the age of 70.

    After being nominated in June 2016 by the IOC Executive Board, Nita Ambani was elected by IOC members in Rio de Janeiro today at the 129th IOC Session.

    The independent selection process follows a new procedure for the recruitment of IOC members based on the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations; those nominated are done so wholly on merit and then elected by existing IOC members.

    As Founder and Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani has been steering initiatives in the area of education, sports, health and art and culture. Nita Ambani is involved in promoting multiple sports in the country with focus on developing talent through a number of large-scale grassroots initiatives. The grassroots programmes that she has initiated have reached out to over 3 million children in multiple sports. She is the architect of the Indian Super League which is galvanising Indian football.

    “I am truly humbled and overwhelmed to be elected by the IOC. This is a recognition of the growing importance of India in the world stage and a recognition for Indian women.” comments Nita Ambani. “I have always believed in the power of sport to shape our youth. I believe that sports brings together communities, cultures, and generations has the power to unify and unite people. I look forward to spreading the spirit of Olympics and sports across our nation.”

  • Nita Ambani gets elected at Rio and becomes the first Indian woman in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

    Nita Ambani gets elected at Rio and becomes the first Indian woman in the International Olympic Committee (IOC)

    MUMBAI: International Olympic Committee (IOC) today announced that leading Indian philanthropist and the Founder chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani, has been elected as an individual member of the IOC, and will become India’s first woman to join the prestigious body.

    Nita Ambani is the only individual member from India and her appointment at the world body is until she attains the age of 70.

    After being nominated in June 2016 by the IOC Executive Board, Nita Ambani was elected by IOC members in Rio de Janeiro today at the 129th IOC Session.

    The independent selection process follows a new procedure for the recruitment of IOC members based on the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations; those nominated are done so wholly on merit and then elected by existing IOC members.

    As Founder and Chairperson of the Reliance Foundation, Nita Ambani has been steering initiatives in the area of education, sports, health and art and culture. Nita Ambani is involved in promoting multiple sports in the country with focus on developing talent through a number of large-scale grassroots initiatives. The grassroots programmes that she has initiated have reached out to over 3 million children in multiple sports. She is the architect of the Indian Super League which is galvanising Indian football.

    “I am truly humbled and overwhelmed to be elected by the IOC. This is a recognition of the growing importance of India in the world stage and a recognition for Indian women.” comments Nita Ambani. “I have always believed in the power of sport to shape our youth. I believe that sports brings together communities, cultures, and generations has the power to unify and unite people. I look forward to spreading the spirit of Olympics and sports across our nation.”

  • Nita Ambani nominated to International Olympic Committee

    Nita Ambani nominated to International Olympic Committee

    MUMBAI: Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation has been nominated as a candidate to be a new member, pending election, of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), headquartered at Lausanne, Switzerland today.

    The International Olympic Committee is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement. It acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family, from the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations (IFs), the athletes, the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs), to partners and United Nations agencies. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) shepherds success through a wide range of programmes and projects. It ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organisations of the Olympic Movement and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of the Olympic values.

    The election will be held at the 129th IOC Session that will take place in Rio de Janeiro between 2nd and 4th August 2016. The independent selection process follows a new procedure for recruitment of IOC members based on the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations. Once elected, she will continue to be a member until the age of 70. Nita Ambani said “It is truly a honour and privilege to be nominated by IOC. I believe in the power of sport to shape our youth, to bring together communities and bridge gaps between cultures and generations. I am grateful to IOC for this opportunity, it’s a recognition of India and Indian women. I am looking forward to the opportunity to contribute in meeting the goals of IOC.”

    She is the first Indian woman to be nominated to the International Olympic Committee. Nita Ambani has been involved in promoting multiple sports in the country with focus on developing talent through a number of large-scale grassroots level initiatives. The grassroots programmes that she has initiated has reached out to over 3 million children.

  • Nita Ambani nominated to International Olympic Committee

    Nita Ambani nominated to International Olympic Committee

    MUMBAI: Nita Ambani, Founder and Chairperson of Reliance Foundation has been nominated as a candidate to be a new member, pending election, of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), headquartered at Lausanne, Switzerland today.

    The International Olympic Committee is the supreme authority of the Olympic Movement. It acts as a catalyst for collaboration between all parties of the Olympic family, from the National Olympic Committees (NOCs), the International Sports Federations (IFs), the athletes, the Organising Committees for the Olympic Games (OCOGs), to partners and United Nations agencies. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) shepherds success through a wide range of programmes and projects. It ensures the regular celebration of the Olympic Games, supports all affiliated member organisations of the Olympic Movement and strongly encourages, by appropriate means, the promotion of the Olympic values.

    The election will be held at the 129th IOC Session that will take place in Rio de Janeiro between 2nd and 4th August 2016. The independent selection process follows a new procedure for recruitment of IOC members based on the Olympic Agenda 2020 recommendations. Once elected, she will continue to be a member until the age of 70. Nita Ambani said “It is truly a honour and privilege to be nominated by IOC. I believe in the power of sport to shape our youth, to bring together communities and bridge gaps between cultures and generations. I am grateful to IOC for this opportunity, it’s a recognition of India and Indian women. I am looking forward to the opportunity to contribute in meeting the goals of IOC.”

    She is the first Indian woman to be nominated to the International Olympic Committee. Nita Ambani has been involved in promoting multiple sports in the country with focus on developing talent through a number of large-scale grassroots level initiatives. The grassroots programmes that she has initiated has reached out to over 3 million children.

  • ISL Auction: Ranbir Kapoor’s Mumbai City FC snaps up Sunil Chhetri for Rs 1.2 crore

    ISL Auction: Ranbir Kapoor’s Mumbai City FC snaps up Sunil Chhetri for Rs 1.2 crore

    MUMBAI: The first auction of Indian footballers’ new dream tournament IMG-Reliance and Star India funded Indian Super league (ISL) kickstarted in Mumbai with national football sensation Sunil Chhetri going under the hammer for a whopping Rs 1.20 crore. Having a base price of Rs 80 lakh, Chhetri was picked up by Ranbir Kapoor’s Mumbai City FC. 

     

    Kapoor said, “I am excited to have Sunil in our team and we are looking forward to the next season with him in the team. Sunil and Anelka up in front will certainly be a worthy experience.”

     

    Veteran football commentator John Dykes started the auction proceedings along with auction specialist Charlie Ross.

     

    The first player to go down the hammer was the winner of the I-League Player of the Season Jackichand Singh. His base price was Rs 20 lakh and after much tussling and strategising, Pune FC grabbed his services for Rs 45 lakh. Hrithik Roshan sported a big smile after securing Singh’s services. Mumbai co-owner Kapoor and North East United co-owner John Abraham were also aggressively bidding for Singh.

     

    With a base price of Rs 39 lakh, Thoi Singh managed to raise many eyebrows when Chennai FC clinched him for Rs 86 lakh.

     

    Alongside Chhetri who breached the Rs 1 crore mark, Eugeneson Lyngdoh became the first player in the auction to touch the coveted price point. After several rounds of aggressive bidding, which started from the base price of Rs 27.5 lakh, Roshan had the last laugh as Pune City FC secured the midfielder’s services by investing a sum of Rs 1.05 crore. As many as five clubs were vying for Lyngdoh.

     

    On the other hand, Rino Anto was the show stopper of Pool B of the ISL auction. The one-of-a-kind Indian national Left Back went under the hammer with a base price of Rs 17.5 lakh. However this amount was too little when compared to his class and franchise owners recognised it early on. Defending champions Athletico de Kolkata bagged his services after several rounds of counter bidding against various franchises. Anto’s selling price went up to Rs 90 lakh, which was way over his base price. 

     

    Pool B also had nation number 9 Robin Singh. The goal scorer was expected to grab the attention of many a teams but it turned out to be a very cold bidding while he was under the hammer. Delhi Dynamos secured his service paying Rs 51 lakh, a tad higher than his base price of Rs 40 lakh.

     

    A total of Rs 7.22 crore was spent in the first edition of the ISL player auction for garnering the services of top 10 Indian players.  

     

    The auction began with an encouraging speech from ISL founder and chairperson Nita Ambani. 

     

    Ambani said, “Half a million young minds participated in the Reliance Foundation young minds grassroots program out of which the best 23 were selected and now they are privileged with top class facilities in Mumbai, getting top class coaching from top football coaches. We are committed to make the second season bigger and better. We will try our level best to make India a truly footballing nation. Come on India, let’s football.”

  • Rs 20 crore salary cap set for Indian Super League season 2

    Rs 20 crore salary cap set for Indian Super League season 2

    MUMBAI: The first season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) was indeed a success for the sport in India as it achieved a rare status of being the fourth-most watched football leagues in the world. 

     

    Now in its second edition, the controlling body of the ISL, the Football Sports Development Ltd (FSDL), formed through a joint venture between IMG-Reliance and Star India, has decided that the ISL clubs will have player’s salary cap of Rs 20 crore for the second season to be held this year. 

     

    The board has also decided that the ISL will have an auction for Indian players who have played in the senior national teams but missed out on the inaugural ISL season.

     

    Each club will be eligible to add only one such player from the auction list consisting of maximum 12 to 15 players. Those not picked through auction will form part of the Domestic Players Draft. 

     

    Commenting on the development, an Indian Super League spokesperson said that the new set of rules are defined to encourage clubs in player retention, assist them in managing player costs and provide a level playing field for each club to prepare for the second season with a reasonable and broadly equitable chance of winning the league in 2015. 

     

    “The inaugural year of the ISL brought to fore many new faces of Indian football other than the known international names. The league encourages the Clubs to retain such players to help them build an identity and fan base,” added the spokesperson.

     

    In terms of player retention, a number of decisions have been taken at the first Governing Council to review the inaugural season. The Governing Council committee consists of all eight ISL participatory club representatives and officials from FSDL. 

     

    For marquee players it has been decided that each club must have a minimum of one marquee player. Clubs can retain their marquee player from the inaugural season but are free to sign one from the open market, with prior approval from the League. For international players, clubs can retain a minimum of one and maximum of five international players. Additionally, clubs are allowed to contract international players by themselves through the market directly. 

     

    It has also been decided that a minimum of one and maximum of six domestic players can be retained by a club. Players, who are not part of the retention list of clubs, can be signed by any ISL club in the open market until April 2015. In case they are still without contract, such players will be listed in the Domestic Draft. 

     

    Each club is to have a minimum of 22 players, with a mandatory two developmental players in the squad. Each team would consist of one marquee, eight international and 13 domestic players including the compulsory two under-23 developmental players. A club can have a maximum squad size of 25. Additional quota of three players can have maximum two international players it has been decided.

  • Does Yuvraj Singh deserve Rs 16 crore?, asks adman Pratap Bose

    Does Yuvraj Singh deserve Rs 16 crore?, asks adman Pratap Bose

    Having played for Bengal in my teens and waking up at 3 am just to listen to the commentary of West Indies playing India, I can proudly call myself a purist of the game.

     

    But the site of cricketers being sold like horses in the ring for the benefit of insolvent owners, Bollywood actresses and wives of rich businessman is another reason why I so despise the IPL. What does Nita Ambani or Preity Zinta know about the cricket beyond a point?

     

    The sight of players being bought like horses for the enjoyment of a few and to enhance the value of their team is not what cricket is meant to be. A few spend crores, using the sport as a platform to make more money. What amazes me more is the fact that players who have crossed their prime are being sold for exuberant amount of money. Take Yuvraj Singh for instance, who was bought by Delhi Daredevils for Rs 16 crore. The player is done and dusted; he wasn’t even included in the ICC World Cup 2015 squad. So, why spend so much on him? There are many like him who are bought for their ‘star’ value instead of others who are the future of the game.

     

    If this cannot be labeled as commercialisation of the game then what can?

     

    And to top all this, we have scandals attached to the IPL, which is a disgrace to the game.

     

    Like I said, I’m a purist of the game who loves longer formats, which helps test the caliber of a player, but I don’t mind a T20 World Cup. It is the IPL, I don’t like and don’t even watch because it has made the game nothing less than a circus.

    (As told to indiantelevision.com’s Meghna Sharma)

  • Nita Ambani launches ISL grassroots football programme

    Nita Ambani launches ISL grassroots football programme

    MUMBAI: When the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) was introduced, there was a lot of talk about emphasis being laid on the development of the sports at the grassroots level. Football Sports Development (FDSL) founder and chairperson Nita Ambani, launched the league’s grassroots football movement recently.

    The programme aims to create a platform for the development of grassroots football activity and talent-scouting across the country. It aims to reach out to a million young footballers in the first few years and expose them to the best practices in global football.

    “Sports is important to build character and channelise the abundant energy of our children in a positive direction. Now that we are approaching the business-end of the league, we are launching the soul of ISL – the grassroots programme,” Ambani said.

    This long-term initiative will be a joint effort of  ISL, the eight ISL clubs, Reliance Foundation and three NGOs – Magic Bus in Mumbai, Delhi, Raigad and Bangalore; slum soccer in Nagpur, Thane and Navi Mumbai; and Yuwa in Jharkhand.

    In the first phase, the programme will aim to reach out to 5,00,000 children through in-school and maidan initiatives, beginning early 2015. The outreach will focus on introduction of kids to football, training and talent-scouting through a series of selection modules across the country.

    ISL will also distribute 1,00,000 footballs with a specific focus on towns and villages across the country.

    Being Human founder and actor Salman Khan, who endorsed the programme said, “I am happy to be part of the programme and Ambani’s vision to develop India as a footballing nation. This programme will shape the next generation of Indian footballers.”

    Top talent in the age group of 10 to 13 that emerges from these camps will undergo another selection process to be picked for Reliance Foundation’s YoungChamps scholarship. The full-time residential scholarship, provided over three-to-seven year period, will also cover their education.

     

  • Hero ISL sizzles as 170 million witness the league during opening week

    Hero ISL sizzles as 170 million witness the league during opening week

    MUMBAI: The first edition of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) which has promised to open a new footballing movement in the country has achieved a new milestone for the sport during the opening week of the league.

     

    75 million people witnessed the birth of the new football league on day one and 170 million in week one. According to Star, this is 12 times the FIFA World Cup 2014 opening day and double of opening week reach for FIFA World Cup 2014 in India. The weekly reach is over 20-30X of the other football leagues viewership in India said the channel which is also the promoter along with AIFF and IMG-Reliance.

     

    These are aggregated reach numbers across eight channels that the network had telecast the league. These are (Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Suvarna Plus (Kannada). (Tam Panel CS4+; Extrapolated to all TV viewing universe).

     

    The viewership numbers also performed well not just on television but also the web portal www.starsports.com.The website recorded 8,00,000 visits each for the first two days of the tournament which is 80 per cent of the average IPL viewership on www.starsports.com. No other non-cricketing event has seen such digital traction in India, Star said. The number of visitors to the site continued to grow as the league gained momentum and recorded five million visits over the opening week.

     

    On digital media, Hero ISL saw 2.5 billion potential impressions so far. Within 24 hours of the grand kick off, the league dominated twitter trends in India with a perfect score of 10 out 10 topics on web and 15 out of 17 topics on mobile as the country reveled in the birth of a footballing nation. On Facebook, the league trended at number one in India with the hashtag #IndianSuperLeague.

     

    Football Sports Development founding chairperson Nita Ambani said, “Right from the outset, Hero ISL has been geared towards one overarching objective— to develop football across the country in a systematic and holistic manner. The enthusiasm with which the Hero Indian Super league has been greeted, gives us the perfect platform from which to drive grassroots development of football in India.”

     

    Star India CEO Uday Shankar added, “The early success of the Hero ISL has been phenomenal as millions of fans have thronged to watch the action – on television, on digital and in-stadia. This is a historic moment in the era of sports in India as fans embrace the global game and see a quality of football never witnessed before being played in India. This is the first step in a long journey of making India a footballing nation and providing the platform for future champions to emerge. The endeavour has been to create a world class tournament to global production standards with the ubiquitous reach and platform of the Star network.” He further thanked fans for their belief and said they would redouble their efforts to make it a spectacular tournament.

     

    The Hero Indian Super League is being beamed across a global audience, expanding the reach of the most exciting new football league across five continents and in 23 languages. In India, the Hero ISL is being telecast live on eight channels across five languages on Star Sports 2 (English), Star Sports 3 (Hindi), Star Sports HD 2 (English), Star Gold (Hindi), Star Utsav (Hindi), Asianet Movies (Malayalam), Jalsha Movies (Bengali) and Suvarna Plus (Kannada). It is also available live on www.starsports.com.

  • Hrithik Roshan set to replace Salman Khan as FC Pune City co owner

    Hrithik Roshan set to replace Salman Khan as FC Pune City co owner

    MUMBAI:  With three days to go for the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL), Salman Khan tweeted that he is not a co owner of any ISL team.  He said that his friends Dheeraj and Kapil Wadhawan had asked him to be the partner for the team. He further stated the reason for the same was because of his endorsement contract with Suzuki and Thums Up which conflicted with the league sponsors. Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan is set to replace him as the new co owner.

     

    He further went on to tweet that he supported Nita Ambani’s vision in the football grassroots programme and would work wholeheartedly in supporting it. According to him, by creating the ISL, IMG Reliance and Star have put in place an important building block to put Indian football on the global football map.