Paes’ touching speech generates Rs 83 Lakh for Olympic Gold Quest

That's the sponsorship commitment Olympic Gold Quest have received after a touching speech by new board director Leander Paes

Paes' touching speech generates Rs 83 Lakh for Olympic Gold Quest

That's the sponsorship commitment Olympic Gold Quest have received after a touching speech by new board director Leander Paes

Had it not been for the little-known Yogi Durlabhji family in Jaipur, Indian tennis would have been poorer by 10 Grand Slam titles. Over two decades ago, when India's sporting infrastructure for individual athletes was far from promising, the Durlabhjis decided to sponsor a 14-year-old tennis player. That he would go on to be Leander Paes, they too would have never imagined.

Paes revealed this and more facts about his initial sporting struggle in a touching speech in his new capacity as Olympic Gold Quest's (OGQ) board director at The Indus Entrepreneurial Summit at the Bandra-Kurla Complex in Mumbai. "We decided to get Leander on board because given his vast experience in international sport, his contribution to our cause would be invaluable," said Prakash Padukone, badminton legend and co-founder of OGQ set up to identify and support Indian athletes with a proven track record with the potential to win Olympic gold medals. And invaluable it has already proven to be!

For, Paes who was given a timeframe of five minutes for his speech, but went on for eight-plus, brought immediate windfall gains to OGQ. According to sources, following OGQ COO and hockey Olympian Viren Rasquinha's presentation highlighting the needs of upcoming athletes and Leander's influential note, OGC attracted sponsorship commitments to the tune of Rs 83 lakh.

These include an IT expert offering to design the OGC website, an England-based physiotherapist agreeing to bear all the athletes' training expenses in the United Kingdom and a whopping 51-lakh offered by Inventus co-founder Kanwal Rekhi.

"I've been through tough times, so I know how important it is to bridge the gap between a sportsman and the corporate world," Paes said in his speech. He, however, refused to take any credit for its after-effects. "It's a noble cause and I'm just glad to be part of it," he said.

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