Sanghavi hardsells Gujarat to startups, invites them to set up sports goods manufacturing units

The minister was speaking at the Sports Startup Conclave at the Transstadia University in Ahmedabad. At the event, the state government’s Principal Secretary for Sports, Youth and Cultural Activities, Ashwini Kumar raised concerns about the lack of focussed efforts to promote sports.

“The growth in the sports sector in India is driven by increasing demand for sports goods and services. The emergence of sports leagues and format, the rise of digital and social media, and growing awareness of the youth. Despite the great potential for job creation, technology disruption and impact on a large section of society, the efforts to promote sports are not very focused. Thereby, hindering the creation of a strong ecosystem to cater to the special requirements of sports and startups,” Kumar said.

Later, during a panel discussion, experts pushed for esports. “Esports is solving a problem. All field-sports are reporting loss of audience in the 13-18 years age group in tier-1 cities. Now, sports are trying to use esports as an entry-level drug to bring young people back,” said Subhayu Roy, director of Cricviz India. Nodwin Gaming global head Nimish Raut claimed esports was becoming the “second largest sport in the country after cricket”.