India’s quest for an Olympic swimming medal has taken a significant stride forward with a strategic partnership between the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) and Mizuho Bank Ltd.
The launch of the Mizuho High-Performance Swimming Programme aims to cultivate a new generation of Indian swimmers capable of competing at the highest level of international competition.
Indian swimming, despite its rich potential, has yet to claim an Olympic medal. Recognizing this gap, IIS and Mizuho Bank have joined forces to create a comprehensive program designed to identify, nurture, and train 30 promising young swimmers. The program will be based at the state-of-the-art IIS campus in Bellary, Karnataka, where athletes will have access to world-class facilities, including advanced swimming pools, a high-performance centre, and residential accommodations.
Beyond providing top-tier infrastructure, the program will offer a holistic approach to athlete development. Swimmers will benefit from expert coaching, rigorous competition exposure, cutting-edge sports science, strength and conditioning, nutrition, education, and mental health support. This comprehensive approach is crucial for addressing the multifaceted demands of elite-level swimming.
Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), Founder, Parth Jindal while talking about the prospects of India winning an Olympic medal in swimming, said, “It’s not a matter of ‘if’, it’s a matter of ‘when’.
“When we started the IIS in 2017, we didn’t even imagine that it would lead an Olympic gold, that too in a sport like javelin. So, if we do our jobs well, we will definitely have swimmers with A-category qualification in 2032, if not 2028.”
IIS CEO, Rushdee Warley, who has previously worked with South Africa Swimming and New Zealand Swimming, added, “Results in any sports programme come after a few years, requiring patience from the supporters. In our experience, it takes about 8 to 10 years to develop a programme.”
Mizuho understands that said Piyush Agarwal, Senior Managing Director & Head of Corporate & Institutional Banking (India), “We are in it for the long term.
“Our fundamental approach to all our activities is to operate responsibly. We are honoured to partner with IIS, who were our partner of choice for the first-ever Sports CSR investment in India as we share their vision of developing and nurturing Indian talent to succeed in the world of international sports.
“As one of the youngest nations in the world with about 60% population being under the age of 28, we believe that India should claim its rightful place on the podium in this aspect too.”
The Mizuho High-Performance Swimming Programme will commence shortly with a rigorous selection process to identify the most promising swimmers nationwide. Talented young athletes like Maana Patel, Kushagra Rawat, Ishaan Mehra, Astha Choudhury, Ashmitha Chandra, and Bikram Changmai are the first cohort to benefit from this transformative initiative.
While the immediate focus is on developing swimmers for the 2028 and 2032 Olympics, the program’s impact extends beyond these milestones. By creating a sustainable high-performance swimming ecosystem, IIS and Mizuho Bank aim to inspire a new generation of swimmers and elevate the overall standard of the sport in India.
Founded by the JSW Group, Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) is India’s first privately funded high-performance training centre. Located in Karnataka, it provides world-class facilities and training to promising young athletes in disciplines like wrestling, boxing, judo, athletics, and swimming. IIS aims to nurture India’s sporting talent and produce Olympic champions, focusing not just on athletic prowess but also on the holistic development of its athletes.
Mizuho Bank is a major Japanese banking institution and a core component of Mizuho Financial Group, one of Japan’s largest financial services companies. As a retail and corporate banking arm, Mizuho Bank offers financial products and services to individuals, small businesses, large corporations, and institutions.
