Grassroots to Glory: Sania Mirza, Mary Kom, Harbhajan Singh Endorse Digital Sports Initiative

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Tennis legend Sania Mirza, former world champion MC Mary Kom, and ex-India cricketer Harbhajan Singh have launched India's first sports learning app, 'Play Sports'.

The app is designed to bolster grassroots sports development, with the aim of propelling India into the top-10 sporting nations by the 2036 Olympic Games.

Sania Mirza Advocates for Grassroots Development

Sania Mirza, a six-time Grand Slam champion and former World No. 1 in women's doubles, stressed the necessity of investing in grassroots sports programs to achieve this goal. During the app launch in Dubai, she emphasized the importance of early nurturing of young talent by both government and private entities.

"Everything is possible if your mind and body allow you. The Play Sports app helps nurture grassroots level athletes, aiming to produce more champions in various Olympic disciplines," Sania asserted. She highlighted that many talented children in remote villages lack access to quality training and coaching. The app aims to bridge this gap, providing essential knowledge about nutrition, training, and recovery mechanisms in a digital format.

India's Olympic Ambitions

India has won a total of 35 Olympic medals since 1900, with the nation aiming to enter double digits at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The country achieved its best-ever finish at Tokyo 2020 with seven medals. With aspirations to host the 2036 Olympic Games, Mirza believes India's future in the global sports arena is ambitious yet attainable.

"2036 doesn't seem to be an unrealistic target," Mirza said, expressing hope for increased representation and more medals for India. Her optimism reflects the potential she sees in the country's young athletes.

Play Sports App: A Comprehensive Sports Learning Platform

Play Sports has created video tutorials in 15 disciplines for children aged 6 to 15 who aspire to pursue sports professionally. Founded by Shubham Chaudhary and Lavish Chaudhary, the platform aims to nurture young talent by providing world-class training and coaching, improving sports infrastructure, and catering to the nutritional needs of children.

"We felt there was no digital platform offering comprehensive information from warm-up, nutrition, mental conditioning to recovery methodology under one roof. This led to the creation of our one-stop app that provides all the necessary information in video format to meet the needs of millennials and GenZ," Shubham Chaudhary explained.

Harbhajan Singh's Reflections and Support

During the launch, cricket legend Harbhajan Singh shared his reflections on his illustrious career, highlighting the unmatched joy of winning two World Cups with his teammates. "Winning two World Cups with my teammates was priceless. I will cherish those moments for the rest of my life," Harbhajan said.

He also celebrated the achievements of other Indian sports icons like Sania Mirza, Mary Kom, Saina Nehwal, and Harmanpreet Kaur, and called for greater involvement from private organizations in supporting sports development.

MC Mary Kom on Women's Sports Progress

Boxing legend MC Mary Kom praised the significant progress in women's sports in India over the past few years. "There has been a lot of improvement in sports for women in recent years. The Play Sports initiative is very good and was needed at this time, not just for women athletes but for all," Kom stated, recognizing the strides made towards greater inclusion and opportunities for female athletes. She described the Play Sports initiative as timely and crucial for the development of women in sports.

As India continues to nurture its young sporting talent, initiatives like Play Sports are vital in ensuring that future generations have the resources and support they need to succeed on the global stage.