SFA recognises importance of public-private partnerships

In a recent interview, Reuben Pandian, the chief strategy officer of Sports For All (SFA), recognised the importance of public-private partnerships in driving the growth of sports.

Reuben, in an interview with BW Education, said SFA has actively worked towards fostering collaboration between the Indian government, private sector, and civil society organizations over the years.

"SFA, is the leading sports entrepreneurial venture empaneled with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), official partner of Team India under the aegis of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and are sponsors for Khelo India Youth Games, beginning from the Madhya Pradesh, 2023 (for the next five years, until 2028 editions)," said Reuben.

"The 36th National Games, Gujarat, 2022 and Khelo India Youth Games, Haryana, 2021 were powered by the SFA’s tech IP ‘Games Management System (GMS). Previously, SFA has also managed editions of Khelo India Youth Games in Pune, Guwahati, and Panchkula."

Reuben added that SFA believes in the transformative power of sports to empower individuals, agnostic of gender or their financial demographic.

"SFA strives to create an environment that ensures inclusivity and equal opportunities for children from diverse backgrounds to participate in our championships. We contribute to the National Education Policy vision of inclusive education by breaking barriers and addressing societal biases.

"Just to share interesting SFA statistics, in the last 12 championships we have seen 35% participation from girl athletes. 'She is Gold' is a program at our championships, dedicating one day to girl athletes competing across sports, motivating this consistent participation, and ensuring they are determined to continue.

"Another campaign, 'More Alike' practices inclusivity for specially abled athletes, across all age-groups and sports, throughout the championship," he added.

To read the full interview, click here.