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The recently concluded Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham turned out to be a massive success for the Indian contingent, who came away with a 61-medal haul. As many as 13 of the medal-winning athletes trained at the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS).
The IIS is India’s first privately-funded high-performance training center, and trains talented young athletes across five Olympic disciplines - wrestling, boxing, judo, athletics, and swimming. Spread over 42 acres in Vijayanagar, Karnataka, the institute is a unique initiative led by the JSW Group. It is home to over 500 budding athletes through its flagship center at Bellary and a network of feeder centers across India.
Beginning the journey
Heading the ambitious project is IIS CEO Mr. Rushdee Warley. After graduating from the University of Cape Town, he followed that up with a Sports Business Program (Management Advancement Program) at the University of Witwatersrand in South Africa.
Warley has more than 20 years of experience in the sports industry, which includes coaching Swimming South Africa, working as a performance consultant for High Performance Sport New Zealand, and leading the 2012 Olympic Games campaign for New Zealand's swimming team.
Describing the beginning of his journey with the IIS, Rushdee said:
“Someway along the line, I got connected with Mustafa Ghouse (CEO, JSW Sports). He told me about this project and it sounded very intriguing. The vision was so compelling and the opportunity to build something special caught my eye.”
Linthoi Chanambam may not be a household name in India yet, but the 15-year-old Manipuri created history by becoming the first Indian to win the gold medal at the World Cadet Judo Championship in Sarajevo, Bosnia in late August. Linthoi is just one of a long list of athletes who can attribute their success to training at the Inspire Institute of Sport.
Speaking on Linthoi’s recent success, Rushdee said:
“Linthoi has been here since she was 11. And of course, there was this fantastic base that was laid in Manipur. Then she came here and spent the last couple of years with us in an environment where we could look after all aspects of her training. And that is the vision we have for all our athletes, including their education and developing them as people.”
Rising stars from the IIS
Some recent shining stars that saw their stocks rise during their time at IIS include 2020 Tokyo Olympics gold medal winner Neeraj Chopra and 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games gold medal winners Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik.
Their list of accomplishments may be long but it was at IIS where these athletes took their first step.
Sharing his memories of these superstar athletes and their humble beginnings, Rushdee said:
“ I first met Neeraj just before his World Junior Championships, and then to see him become the Olympic champion is just amazing. But what you don’t see is the work ethic he put in when he was injured. And the same with Bajrang. Everyone could see his commitment and discipline. And the same with Sakshi. And the young athletes are so fortunate to see this first hand on a daily basis.”
Importance of holistic development
The IIS recently tied up with digital business and IT services leader NTT DATA over a new education program for athletes at the institute. But academics and education have always been given high priority at IIS.
Speaking on the importance of holistic development at IIS, Rushdee said:
“It is important that we allow athletes to develop in multidimensional ways. It's not just about the subjects they learn but about learning to think and challenge themselves in areas they are not comfortable with. The best athletes in the world know how to take accountability for their actions, and that is what education is about. The ability to ask questions, the ability to communicate - these are all things that will help them in the next phases of their lives.”
Behind the scenes at IIS
Such a large institution has to function like clockwork to provide the athletes with the best regiments and ensure their mental and physical well-being. Speaking on the what goes on behind the scenes, Warley said:
“The athletes are, of course, central to everything, but the people surrounding them include the coaches, the sports science team, and the ops team. They integrate the environment across multiple disciplines, which is the key to success. We still have a long way to go.”
Swimming program in Odisha
With the aim of developing a robust culture for swimming and producing world-class swimmers from the state, JSW Sports, in collaboration with the Odisha Sports and Youth Services Department, announced the launch of a comprehensive Grassroot Programme in 2021. The Grassroots Swim Program was established in eight locations across the state, including Bhubaneshwar, Sambalpur, Balangir, Boudh, Sonepur, Angul, Ganjam, and Mayurbhanj with an aim to create a high-performance centre and provide international standard coaching in the state.
Speaking about the impact of the initiative, Rushdee said:
“The kind of infrastructure there is in Odisha is second to none in the world. That is the kind of philosophy we as a group work with. We want to be comparable with the global standards.”
The Australian Boxing team visited IIS just before the pandemic and expressed words of appreciation towards the institute.
Ongoing programs and expansion plans
Speaking on the IIS’ plans to expand to different parts of the country, Rushdee said:
“We already have a swimming program in Odisha, a program in Hisar that is a public private partnership with SAI, a partnership in Himachal through JSW Energy program, and one in Manipur. We want to give more athletes access to the support that we provide. After all, we are one IIS for 1.3 billion people, but we want to create a wider footprint across the nation.”
The IIS is a project of JSW Sports and aims to craft India’s next Olympic champions. The Academic and Skill Development Program is designed to prepare these athletes for a successful transition to adulthood and employability, as well as to give them a head start in the most important arena they will encounter - life.
