Sports and Society Accelerator

🚨 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗿𝗼𝗽: 𝗥𝗖𝗕 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗟𝗮𝗯 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗦𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀! 🚀🔥 🗣 Mr. Amitabh Kant - G20 Sherpa, Government of India, Ex CEO of Niti Aayog. 🙌 Join us for the second edition of the RCB Innovation Lab Indian Sports Summit, powered by Leaders, on March 1️⃣4️⃣-1️⃣5️⃣ in Bengaluru, as we discuss the future of Sports in India! 🎤 Head to Fan to Park, our ticketing and experience partner, to participate now! https://lnkd.in/ebGjvnuC 🔗 Knowledge Partner: Sports and Society Accelerator Venue Partner: Padukone Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence #PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBxLEADERS

We introduce our first publication under the Sports and Society Accelerator’s (SSA) recently launched SAPA Centre, “Building Skills and Livelihoods through Sports and Physical Activity (SAPA)”. This introductory brief is a baseline for our long term roadmap to the potential for the SAPA sector to contribute to India's economic growth and livelihoods. It is a key thematic focus area of ours, and was launched at the Sports and Society Dialogues on February 7th, 2025. It has also been presented by us to the Union Minister of State (I/C) Skill Development & Entrepreneurship Mr. Jayant Chaudhary. The brief aims to understand the potential for SAPA to drive India’s economic development and social outcomes. It highlights how SAPA can contribute significantly to economic growth, increase productivity, and generate livelihoods, along with enhancing life skills and employability. The brief identifies pathways, maps the opportunities, and proposes an initial projection for the way ahead, as SSA works towards creating a comprehensive roadmap for India as a whole, and for individual states to prioritize and implement. We invite you to read through the brief, and share your thoughts in the comments below. The SAPA Centre is a milestone and the work under it will be a key contributor on our road to Mission 100 – which envisions an India with every child playing and every Indian active by 2047. Nandan Kamath | Desh Gaurav Sekhri | Abhishek Anand | Abhinav Shrivastava | Lokesh Kaza | Sugandha Vats | Mridul Kataria

The Sports and Society Accelerator is pleased to share that we are co-hosting an event titled ‘From Playground to Podium: Navigating Sports Parenting’ in collaboration with the Bangalore International Centre. This event is designed for parents seeking valuable insights and experiences to support their child’s sporting journey. Through engaging discussions, we will explore real-life experiences and expert insights on nurturing young athletes. 📅 Date: February 23, 2025, Sunday 🕰 Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM IST 📍 Location: Bangalore International Centre The event will feature two panel discussions with expert speakers, moderated by our co-founder, Nandan Kamath: - Sujith Somasundar, Former Cricketer & Life Coach - Nisha Millet, Program Director, Nisha Millet’s Swimming Academy  - Sanjana Kiran, High-Performance Advisor & Sports Educator - Sunita Maheshwari, Pediatric Cardiologist - Raji Narayan, President, Art Mantram - Tresa Francis, Restaurateur We invite you to register for this discussion on building a more active and healthy future for everyone at this link, as seating is limited. https://lnkd.in/gjAS9vUB    This event plays a key role in knowledge-building and community engagement and forms a crucial part of our Mission 100, which envisions an India where every child is playing, and every adult is active. Nandan Kamath | Desh Gaurav Sekhri | Meghana Narayan | Nakul Narayan | Lakshminarayan M | Arjun Kalyanpur | Abhishek Anand | Lokesh Kaza | Mridul Kataria | Sugandha Vats

Last week, we launched Sports-Forward Nation, a report in collaboration with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). The report explores the Indian sports ecosystem and outlines four key pillars of growth: commerce, technology, performance, and social impact. These pillars set the foundation for a 10-step roadmap to unlock the power of sport for nation-building. We invite you to watch the video which walks us through the report and sets the stage for what is ahead. We are also pleased to share that we will be taking many of these conversations forward as the Knowledge Partners of the Indian Sports Summit 2025, being brought to you by RCB Innovation Lab and powered by Leaders in Sport, on 14-15 March. Bringing the sports ecosystem together is a key part of our Mission 100, which envisions an India where every child plays, and every Indian is active by 2047. Nandan Kamath | Rajesh V Menon | Desh Gaurav Sekhri | Mridul Kataria | Lokesh Kaza | Mansi Misra | Jemimah M. | Ananya Sivadas | Kanishka Bhattacharya | Ayan Sulaiman | Abhishek Anand | Sugandha Vats

On 07 February the Sports and Society Accelerator completed three years. We marked the occasion with the second edition of the Sports and Society Dialogues. The event was attended by key stakeholders from the central government, state governments, multilaterals, sports and physical activity (SAPA) practitioners, academics, and the private sector. The event consisted of key conversations on the way forward for embedding SAPA in daily life in cities, schools, colleges, and workplaces; followed by in-depth discussions around using this as a springboard and utilizing its endless potential in skilling, upskilling, and reskilling – with the aim to broaden the skill and employment base and make SAPA a key contributor to the growing Indian economy. The three years also marked the launch of SSA’s SAPA Centre in the presence of our Board of Advisors. The Centre will be our hub for actionable research and engaging with policymakers across the country – enabling the wider ecosystem to be participants. We would like to thank everyone who joined us through the course of the event, and we invite you to stay tuned for more updates on the SAPA Centre and our key projects with partners moving forward. We would like to thank Magic Bus India Foundation for co-hosting the session around SAPA and skilling. The Dialogues provided a platform to discuss our progress towards our Mission 100 – which envisions an India with every child playing, and every Indian active by 2047. Rukmini Banerji | Dr. Sekhar B. | Joy Bhattacharjya | #ShardaUgra | Nandan Kamath | Desh Gaurav Sekhri | Abhinav Shrivastava | Abhishek Anand | Sugandha Vats | Lokesh Kaza | Mridul Kataria Anantapur Sports Academy | Pro Sport Development | Mondelēz International | UNESCO India | Laureus | The World Bank | ASER Centre | Pratham Education Foundation | SporTech Innovation Lab Pvt Ltd | Sportz Village | The Takshashila Institution | Piramal Foundation | Wholsum Foods (Slurrp Farm and Millé) | International Physical Literacy Association (IPLA) | Dani Sports Foundation | Sports, Physical Education, Fitness and Leisure Skills Council | Life Skills Collaborative | Accelerate Indian Philanthropy (AIP)

The Sports and Society Accelerator is pleased to announce the launch of Sports-Forward Nation, in collaboration with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). This report addresses a wide spectrum of the Indian sports ecosystem and identifies the four key pillars of growth: commerce, technology, performance, and social impact. These four pillars represent the key ideas for the groundwork of a roadmap for India to harness the power of sport in service of nation building. We aim to build upon the conversation and work on bringing to life our 10-step roadmap through an ecosystem-led approach. This report is a key milestone on the path towards our Mission 100 – that envisions an India where every child is playing, and every Indian is active by 2047. Nandan Kamath | Rajesh V Menon | Desh Gaurav Sekhri | Mridul Kataria | Lokesh Kaza | Mansi Misra | Jemimah M. | Ananya Sivadas | Kanishka Bhattacharya | Ayan Sulaiman | Abhishek Anand | Sugandha Vats

On 22nd January, the Sports and Society Accelerator hosted a webinar on "Skills Development through Sports and Physical Activity" in collaboration with ISCA - International Sport and Culture Association. We would like to thank all the attendees and our panelists – Alfonso Cevallos-Zúñiga Llamas (方彧), Samuel Musembi, Smiya Chandran, and Simon Prahm – for their valuable contributions. SSA has been working to explore pathways for how SAPA can contribute to skill development, livelihood generation, and economic growth, and the event sets the context for many conversations going forward. We’re now pleased to share the key takeaways from the discussion and a few snippets from the panel discussion. We invite you to take a look at these highlights, share your thoughts, and stay tuned for more information. At SSA, moving forward, the work around skill development in and through SAPA will be a key area of focus and an essential part of our Mission 100, which envisions an India where every child is playing and every adult is active. Fundación Fútbol Más | Pratham Education Foundation | GAME Nandan Kamath | Jacob Feilberg Schouenborg | Desh Gaurav Sekhri | Laura-Maria Lehiste | Abhishek Anand | Mridul Kataria | Sugandha Vats

Today marks the International Day of Education. As we celebrate the importance of education for holistic development, we ask ourselves this vital question: how can we enhance our schools as spaces of growth? By further integrating sports and physical activity (SAPA) as a pillar for education we can help support life long learning and lifelong activity to unlock healthier, and more active futures. This aligns with the government’s vision, as the National Sports Policy Draft 2024 and National Education Policy 2020 emphasize integrating sports and physical literacy into education to foster lifelong appreciation for activity and well-being. Our 'Active Schools' issue brief—published late last year as part of the Active Series—addresses this critical need by exploring strategies to make SAPA more accessible and encouraging lifelong activity. You can read the brief here: https://lnkd.in/g3yzrBRY These issue briefs are a key part of our Mission 100 - which envisions an India with every child playing and every Indian active. We invite you to read through it and share your thoughts below. Nandan Kamath | Desh Gaurav Sekhri | Abhishek Anand | Lokesh Kaza | Sugandha Vats | Mridul Kataria

Exploring the rise of Indian Sports Tech with Nandan Kamath! 🚀 🎙 Welcome back to the Sports Tech Allstars Podcast this 2025! Starting this year with focus on the Indian ecosystem in build up to the Indian Sports Biz & Tech Report. To kick off the series, we present: Nandan Kamath, Co-Founder at Sports and Society Accelerator. ✅ Takeaways: - Indian SportsTech is rapidly growing and diversifying. - Cultural shifts are changing perceptions of sports careers. - Physical activity levels in India are alarmingly low. - Sports can drive socio-economic change in the population. - Technology has the potential to bridge gaps in sports. - Awareness of health and fitness is increasing among youth. - Government and private sectors must collaborate for sports development. - Startups face challenges in finding product-market fit in sports tech. - Perceived value of sports experiences influences consumer behavior. - The future of Indian sports looks promising with upcoming events. Tune in on the SportsTech AllStars Podcast on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Podcasts to watch the full episode: 🎧: https://lnkd.in/dhd7WS84 🎦: https://lnkd.in/diu4b_g8 #sportstech #sportsbusiness #sportstechnology #sportsinnovation

The Sports and Society Accelerator (SSA) and GoSports Foundation (GoSports) are delighted to announce the inaugural initiative of the Billion Plus Incubator. The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will be supporting Bridges of Sports Foundation with a support grant under its 'Made Of Bold' sports development programme. The grant selection and programme design process was facilitated through the Billion Plus Incubator, a joint endeavour of SSA and GoSports. The Incubator will continue to support the initiative throughout the grant period, with a focus on optimising programme impact. Desh Gaurav Sekhri, Co-Founder of SSA stated, “As a first-of-its-kind initiative in the sport-for-development ecosystem, this project promises to pave the way for future partnerships. We are pleased to see the Royal Challengers Bengaluru involved in supporting the development of grassroots sports in India, and we are excited about the role the Incubator can play in facilitating the growth of the sector.” Deepthi Bopaiah, CEO of GoSports Foundation added, "Through the Billion Plus Incubator, it is exciting to see Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Bridges of Sports Foundation work together to facilitate the athletes at the grassroots. At GoSports Foundation we are looking forward to building the next generation of Indian athletes and are confident that the Incubator can create a major impact on Indian sport." Rajesh V Menon, Vice President and Head, RCB said, "The Made of Bold sports development programme is one among our various initiatives to build a Sports-Forward Nation. We are committed to playing our part in building India's sporting future, and we hope others will join us on this journey and support initiatives of their choice through the Billion Plus Incubator." Nandan Kamath | Rajesh V Menon | Deepthi Bopaiah | Abishek Laxminarayan | Desh Gaurav Sekhri | Nitish Chiniwar