A Bengaluru-based technology company pitched a digital platform to various sports associations and athletes in Mysuru on Saturday with a view to achieving excellence and growth in sports.
The digital platform – Giggr – seeks to create data that is critical to guiding an individual as well as an enterprise to scale up their capabilities. While individual athletes or sportspersons at grassroots level can get access to material, funds and infrastructure just as elite athletes do, enterprises such as schools, colleges, clubs, sports associations and federations will have an opportunity to collaborate in a sports eco-system.
Speaking on the occasion, founder and CEO of Giggr Technologies Pvt. Ltd. Subbu Iyer said sports has emerged as a major industry with a potential of nearly $599 billion capital outlay worldwide by 2025. The current spending, however, is $71 billion worldwide including $1.2 billion in India.
“The majority of this spending is in the outbound logistics spent for promotions, sponsorship, ticketing, merchandizing, fan management and operations. This is centered around elite / professional sportspersons and their activities,” he said.
Though sports plays a big role in the education system, Mr. Iyer said coaches, trainers, nutritionists, therapists, medical experts and others still struggle to stay up to the advancement in sports and the needs of sportspersons, leave alone their aspirations. Also, though Governments have been spending money on grassroots sports and sportspersons’ development, there is lack of cohesive approach, especially with a digital focus, he said.
Representatives of various sports associations and athletes attended the event.
