MUMBAI: The country’s growing craze for sports is also witnessing a phenomenal interest in a sport like badminton. The Badminton Association of India (BAI) has created history by becoming the first National Sports Federation for an Olympic discipline to enter into a Rs 100 crore sponsorship deal by renewing its existing equipment and apparel partner association with Yonex Sunrise Sport for the next four years. Each year costs Rs 25 crore.
The BAI invited bids for equipment, accessories and apparel partnership for the period between 2018 and 2022 on 11 April 2018. In an interaction with Indiantelevision.com, Yonex Sunrise Sport country manager Vikram Dhar said, “We are very happy to extend the deal with BAI since we’ve had a long association. We have always been part of the development of badminton in India. The previous deal for four years was for approximately Rs 50 crore. We also have tie-ups all across India with various academies, state associations and players. We feel that the growth in sports market and the badminton will enhance the game's development in the country.”
Yonex will exclusively endorse all items like racquets, clothing, accessories, badminton court mats, strings and all other sponsors products related to the game of badminton as the exclusive ‘official equipment of BAI and the Indian national badminton team’.
The BAI had invited bids for sponsorship of badminton sports in India. The submission of bid documents date was extended to 30 April 2018 from 26 April 2018. Yonex had little competition in its bid to extend the existing sponsorship contract.
Badminton in India has a good future with the potential of players like Saina Nehwal, PV Sindhu, Kidambi Srikanth, P Kashyap, Ashwini Ponnappa and Jwala Gutta to name a few.
In addition to the BAI, Yonex also sponsors three Indian shuttlers at an individual level - PV Sindhu, Saina Nehwal and Kidambi Srikanth.
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