2019 BWF World Championships
How Mallcom India is providing support to athletes to excel in future
Mallcom India is trying its best to bridge the gap and focus on athletes who have the potential to traverse a great distance.
Corporate Social responsibility may sound a bit technical, but it represents the essence of humanity in the truest sense. Man with his infinite wisdom organized society to help each other. Naturally, when a group of individuals joins hands to run a business, they also get a glorious responsibility to serve the society & nation.
We call it CSR. Now we know when we work from the heart, it shows and it shines. Same goes for CSR. Few corporations like Mallcom have made some outstanding achievements in their CSR initiatives. It happens because of their commitment to the core principle of CSR. They go that extra mile which is not mentioned in the Companies Act, 2013.
Let us get back to Section 135 of the Companies Act, it says companies with a net worth of Rs 500 Crores or more, a turnover of Rs 1000 Crores or more, or a net profit of Rs 5 Crores or more in a given financial year are mandated to spend two per cent of their average net profit (of previous three years) on CSR programs. One of the areas of the target under this CSR programs is for “training to promote rural sports, nationally recognized sports, Paralympic sports, and Olympic sports”.
Low allocation of CSR in sports
India, today home of some of the world's largest businesses already contributed Rs 49,600 Crores within the financial year of 2014-15 to 2018-19. Segment-wise 32% of it is given to education, 30 % to Healthcare, 12 % to Rural Development, 10% to Environment & 3% to Gender Equality. We found less than 2% have been allocated to Rural Sports & Paralympics Sports.
A sport by nature is a democratizing force. It breaks the barrier of language, culture & prejudice. Sports improve community health, strengthen nationalistic bonds. It also teaches an individual the value of preparation & following rules in achieving success. Successful athletes get easier sponsorship, CSR funding even lucrative endorsements. But promising future athletes and sportspersons are grinded and grounded by poverty and malnutrition.
A corporate financial muscle can help these buds to bloom to the fullest. They need a nutritional diet, training from a knowledgeable instructor, quality sports equipment and ample competition exposure, above all a tension-free environment. A business corporation can fulfil all these requirements, under its CSR initiative.
CSR sponsorship to athletes and sports infrastructure development can fetch great achievements for the nation in international competitions. Many athletes lose their ground transitioning from junior to the senior level and many don't even get adequate financial support to continue training or participate in competitions. Sports CSR in our country should be focussed more on helping these athletes so that they can give their best in competitions. For a Para-athlete, preparation is harder, CSR support may be the only launchpad for them to reach success.
Mallcom changing the dynamics in sports
This is where Mallcom India is trying its best to bridge the gap and focus on athletes who have the potential to traverse a great distance. Mallcom (India) Ltd. is India’s leading Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) brand. Having a presence in more than 50 countries in 6 continents, Mallcom has established itself as the integrated manufacturer and distributor for head to toe protection and is a valued partner for major importers in their brand name. One of the key areas of their focus has been Olympic sports and Para-sports.
Mallcom has been one of the pillars of success behind Manasi Joshi, who has crowned the Para-Badminton World Champion on Sunday, 25th August 2019. It was Manasi's first Gold in singles. The electronics engineer from Mumbai took to badminton when she was around nine. She played at school and district levels. In 2011, she met with an accident on her way to work when a truck hit her two-wheeler, and her left leg had to be amputated. Not one to give up, Manasi started walking on a prosthetic limb by 2012. She took part in an inter-company badminton championship, which she won. She also learnt scuba diving.
Manasi decided to turn pro in 2014. Her major break came the next year when she won the silver in mixed-doubles at the Para-Badminton World Championships. She had won the bronze in the same tournament in 2017 in singles. Today Manasi has achieved World’s world no. 1 title in Para-Badminton. Manasi trains at Pullella Gopichand’s academy in Hyderabad and has set her sights on the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Mallcom is supporting Manasi in her sporting journey since 2018. The Company, as per its CSR policy, Mallcom has supported her for training in Hyderabad. The support from Mallcom enabled her to take training under Pulella Gopichand Academy. With the right equipment and right guidance from trainers and world-class coaches, we can see results like in BFF World Cup championship in Basel, Switzerland, where Manasi clinched the Gold for India.
Not only Manasi, but Mallcom has also fuelled the dream of another champion, Mehuli Ghosh from Bengal, who is one of the youngest Air Rifle shooters in India.
Mallcom India has stoked a sea change in the sports CSR ecosystem with their active support for athletes from the beginning of their journey and hopes to fuel more such dreams in the coming days.
If you think you have the zeal and potential to make it big at a global stage and believe a little support can create a difference in your life, click here: https://bit.ly/2lCI0QA
