QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER

• Sandhya Rai and Lachmi Ora, two exceptional athletes from Khelo Rugby, had the honor of representing India at the Asian Games 7 Rugby.

• While the national team faced tough competition and didn't advance past the group stage, the participation itself is a significant achievement and testament to their skills and dedication.

• Yashasri Poddar and Subhashree Poddar showcased their talent by winning bronze medals at the 7th Sub-Junior National Kurash Championship in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

• Om Hingmire also secured a bronze medal at the Junior National Judo Championship held in Delhi.

• The program also conducted the Maharashtra State Kurash Senior Championships, where Tanmayee Marwade emerged as the champion, highlighting the program's commitment to nurturing local talent.

• At Future Stars Sports Academy, we have launched a dedicated Soft Skills Development Program aimed at cultivating essential communication and learning skills among our athletes.

•  During this quarter, we proudly extended our support to the academy by facilitating tournament travel arrangements, streamlining the process for our athletes to seamlessly compete at both state and national levels.

In line with our commitment to athlete well-being and performance, we're enhancing our sports science initiatives. We now offer bi-monthly yoga sessions led by Carolyn Theresa to improve mental and physical well-being. Sports Psychologist Adhoksh Hegde leads mental health sessions to help athletes manage stress and enhance concentration.

Solakumaran Rajendiran, our strength and conditioning expert, customizes fitness sessions for badminton. Sudarshan Kotian, a specialized sports physiotherapist, provides personalized care, injury prevention, and rehabilitation. Our nutritionist, Geetha Ghaliyavar, offers dietary plans and expert advice for optimal nutrition. These initiatives aim to support our athletes in achieving peak performance.

The program will see the Simply Sport Foundation hold both online and offline workshops for the female youth in RDT- ASA program. The curriculum is built with a good mix of theory and practical experiences. With assignments, case studies, quizzes and long-term projects, our hope is to help the girls feel confident for their second innings. Industry experts will lead the sessions, and the first cohort of athletes will graduate from the program in the span of a year. Our first batch started on 7th September, where 17 female athletes joined us for the inaugural sessions.

We impacted over 75 coaches across India through our partners Padukone Sports Management’s Online and Offline Beginner Coaches Certification Program. We also partnered with Bihar State Sports Authority to do our workshops with 204 female athletes across Patna, Siwan and Darbhanga, and 17 coaches and support staff. We also conducted a workshop for Reliance Jio Athletics Center with 15  male and female athletes in Mumbai.

The Female Athlete Leadership Program has been developed by the Simply Sport Foundation in partnership withRural Development Trust (RDT) - Anantapur Sports Academy in Anantapur. The program will see the Simply Sport Foundation hold both online and offline workshops for the female youth in the RDT- ASA program.

The program aims to empower female ASA athletes with employable skills to help them build a career in sports and beyond as they graduate from competitive sports.

Mindfirst contributed to creating social media content on mental health in sports. Through this partnership, we worked towards creating a research-based narrative around the subject through interesting and simple content.

International Youth Day 2023 

International Youth Day 2023 saw the Simply Sport Foundation join hands with Parisar - an advocacy group working in the field of environmental awareness, education and action - from Pune to host a talk. Keeping with this year’s theme - Green Skills for Youth - we organized a session on Championing Change: Youth, Green Skills & the Future of Sport. 

The talk was hosted by Shweta Vernekar, a senior programme associate with Parisar. While her primary focus remains championing sustainable urban transport in Pune, she is very passionate about educating people on sustainable practices and how it can impact daily life. 

During the session, Shweta spoke about how sport affects climate change, and the impact global sporting events have on the environment. The logistics required to host major events was shown using a graph about different modes of transportation, and the carbon footprint it leaves. The session was eye opening for most of the attendees, and we are certain to pay more attention to reduce our impact on the environment. 

Simply Sport Foundation - 3rd anniversary celebrations 

To celebrate Simply Sport’s third birthday on October 13, a team outing was organised on September 29, Friday. Along with our founder Ankit Nagori, the Bangalore team were joined by members from Pune and Mumbai at the Dravid-Padukone Center for Sports Excellence for a day of fun and team-building activities. We started off with team building activities that included an impromptu fashion show where team members were dressed as a warrior princess, a Viking and a chef.

We then moved on to the main activity, one we all are passionate about - sports. The team was split into two for a game of indoor cricket, where the honours were shared with one win a piece. After a quick break for lunch, we continued our day with a round of badminton followed by an entertaining session of beach volleyball to conclude the day.

The Narmada Valley Football Academy represented Madhya Pradesh at the prestigious Subroto Cup for the second time in September. The girls from Mrida may not have made it to the latter stages of the National level tournament, but came back with their heads held high. 

The girls team playing at an U17 tournament had an average age of 14.5, and despite the age difference showcased immense skill to compete toe-to-toe against more experienced teams. 

“Our players showcased superior technical skills and unrivaled on and off-the-ball movement. At times, we played fast, direct, and aesthetically pleasing attacking football, which perfectly aligned with our footballing philosophy,” the coach said.

Despite their impressive showing, the coach highlighted some key areas of improvement going forward. One concern was about their struggle to win aerial challenges during set pieces, but the main issue highlighted by the coach was the disparity in physical fitness, especially with the older players. 

“Defensively, we displayed maturity, but we identified room for improvement in our aerial abilities, particularly with our goalkeeper and centerbacks,” the coach added. “ While our strength and stamina have improved, physical fitness remains a significant challenge for some of our older members, and it's a growing cause for concern.”

Somni was labeled the standout player of the tournament with teammates Pooja and Ambika not far behind. The team are now looking forward to next year’s tournament and are ready to put in the hard work to fine tune their attacking skills and reinforce their defense. Winning the Subroto Cup remains their ultimate dream. 

“Overall, it was a fantastic experience for our team, and as we address our weaknesses and further develop our attacking instincts, we aspire to go all the way in the competition next year.”

 Ankita Dhyani is one among the rising stars of Indian athletics. She hails from Pauri Gharwal in Uttarakhand and is a long distance runner. Ankita was part of the Indian contingent at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China - it was her first appearance at the bi-quadrennial event, and certain to be the first of many.  

The 20-year-old earned her place in the team with a sensational bronze medal in the 5000 meters at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok earlier this year. Although she is not a full-fledged athlete of Simply Sport, we continue to support her with the necessary finances and equipment in order to help her focus solely on training and performance. 

Ankita has battled through various hurdles to cement her place at the National level with the long-distance runner crediting her internal motivation and her rigorous training for her success. The resident of Pauri made it clear that the 2023 Asian Games is just the beginning with the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, her next target. 

“I’ve worked hard for the Asian Games, and on the way, I have faced a number of difficulties as well,” Ankita says. “But my internal motivation has always compelled me to keep going. My strength and courage come from my training.” 

“I am hoping that if I keep training hard, it will help me qualify for the upcoming Olympic Games [Paris, in 2024].”