“It only took six grams of Olympic gold to uplift the nation”- Procam International Jt MD & Sportscom Senior VP, Vivek B Singh

The Indian sports industry has grown in leaps and bounds over the last 30 years. Sporting properties like the IPL, ISL, PKL and many others have contributed to this growth.

But the sporting movement in the country began long before these events came into the limelight. Running events and marathons, in particular, were some of the first competitions that connected with the local as well as the international population and continue to be one of the main sporting events in India.

Procam International have been the pioneers of marathon events ever since they began the Mumbai Marathon in 2004. But the roots of their success in running competitions and other sporting disciplines were laid down long before that. Similarly, Sportscom is also an institution that has massively contributed to the growth of the Indian sports industry by working closely with the government to nurture the talent pool of the country; promoting the culture of sports in schools; and advocating for investment in the industry. It has also provided an inclusive platform for sports manufacturers while taking up many other initiatives.

In an exclusive and captivating phone conversation with Sportskeeda, Procam International joint Managing Director & Sportscom Senior Vice-President, Vivek Singh talked about the role of technology in sports, the key to the success of marathon events in the country, and his personal motivations, before shedding light on the overall growth of the Indian sports industry.

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1. The CII’s 7th Global Sports Summit ‘Scorecard 2022’ was held recently and the emphasis this year was on the priorities and potential for a new world of sport. Can you shed some light on the kind of changes the Indian sports sector has witnessed over the pandemic?

It is heartening to see how the proliferation of sports has become a priority for the government. Starting with our Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji, down to the state governments, it has been heartening to see that sports have found such a big place in their agenda today. That wasn't the case a few years ago. This is the most important thing.

There is a consciousness now about the fact that sports build character and it is something that is integral to our happiness, joy, and well-being. Now that this has been understood, Sportscom has become a catalyst with the government to advocate the various changes that are required because the systems have been there for many years. There are systemic changes required and also the government must explore new opportunities.

2. Sporting organizations like Procam International, Sportscom and many more have had to rely on technology and the virtual world to create fan engagement opportunities over the last couple of years. Do you feel this has allowed you to engage a wider audience and has this brought the sports industry closer together?

Technology is playing a greater part in our lives and not just in our industry, but in every industry. In sports, of course, technology has been a game changer from time to time. However, we must also bear in mind that sports require touch, feel, emotion and connect. It cannot all be virtual. I would say technology has its place and live action has its place. The touch and feel factor cannot be eliminated from the sports industry.

Technology cannot replace live events, competitions and tournaments. It can only augment that. So today, when we look at technology in sport, we look at it as an enhancer. Something that augments that and reaches out to audiences that cannot be virtually strictly connected with us.

Technology can enhance, technology can make things a bit easier, but it can never replace the core ethos of sports, which is to bring people together in competition, in celebration, in joy and in communal harmony.

3. Since the beginning, Sportscom has strived hard to make sports an integral part of the educational curriculum in the country. Taking that into account, how big a boost is the recent resumption of sports in states and schools?

Sports being part of the curriculum has been mooted for a very long time. I remember the marks for a sports campaign ten years ago and when sports quotas were placed on one's report card. Sports quotas have been there in educational institutes for many years. So we cannot say that it is brand new. But what we are doing is we are pushing the agenda.

Sometimes certain agendas get left behind. Sportscom is constantly pushing the government to ensure that education and sports in education should continue to be a greater and greater priority and that is what is happening. But to be honest, sports quotas, employment and education-led sports quotas have been there for many years.

4. Running events, amongst the many other sporting properties organized by Procam, have been a huge success since it began in 2004. In 2020, the Delhi Half Marathon was the first athletic event held in the country post the lockdown and it was a success. What are the key reasons behind the popularity of running events, especially since Procam have been pioneers in this regard?

So, there were five seeds. We never viewed it as a running event. We viewed it as a movement. We viewed it as something that had a life of its own. We laid five seeds in the ground when we started the first Mumbai Marathon in 2003 before we launched it and conducted it in 2004. The seeds were pride and prestige to the host city, communal harmony, health and fitness, charity and a boon to Indian athletics.

All five of these seeds were buried in the ground. Today, they have borne fruit and have become mighty Oak trees. That is the reason for the success of the running events. It's not just because a running event suddenly becomes successful, it becomes so popular and it's great. No, we approached it as a movement, we treated it as a movement. We sowed the seeds in the ground as a movement.

Communal harmony–it is the greatest non-religious, non-political, and secular platform for the common man to come together and for thousands of amateurs to participate shoulder to shoulder. It's a revolutionary movement for people's individual and personal health and fitness, and it is also a source of pride and prestige for the host city.

At the same time, it is a boon for Indian athletes to compete against the world's best on their own home ground. It is also the largest sporting charity platform in India. It's because of the way we approached it this way and that's why it has delivered. It has become the largest movement of good in the country as far as sports is concerned.

5. It was also recently announced that Procam will be moving forward with the 2022 edition of the TCS World 10k. Will this step mark the start of things slowly but steadily returning to normalcy and provide the foundation for more events this year?

I believe so, and God willing it will be. We launched the TCS World 10k Bengaluru yesterday (24th March) and it’s scheduled for 15th of May. Yes, I feel this is a resumption of sports and other things coming back to a new normal. We are hopeful by the Grace of God that we can deliver something that India and the people of Karnataka can be proud of.

Increase of investment in sports sector

6. The Tokyo 2020 Olympics was a resounding success for India. One of the many services Sportscom carries out is the suggestion of policies to the state and central government. Given the success of our athletes on arguably the biggest stage of all, do the authorities need to provide more incentive to build on it and increase investment in the sporting sector?

It will automatically. The awareness of sports in our country has grown by leaps and bounds and if you look at print and news media now, it is center-stage. We've come to appreciate that 6 grams of gold (Olympic gold medal) can uplift the nation. So yes, you will see more investment coming into the industry.

You will see more focus and emphasis on sports. Our athletes are being treated better than they were ever before. This whole culture is changing towards recognizing that there is something called a soft power and sports brings that soft power edge to a nation.

Our athletes have done well. The government has been fabulous. Many corporates have led the way. We are familiar with so many more of our athletes' names. They have all come through because some sponsorship has come either from the government or from the private sector and that's all because people are realizing the soft power of sport. People are realizing that if our sporting province and our sporting success is showcased, then it builds a nation.

7. Over the last 18 years, Procam has raised nearly 450 crores for charity, making it arguably the biggest charity raising platform in the country. What does this mean in the big scheme of things for the company, and how important is it for sporting organizations to contribute towards the betterment of society?

These people would not believe this could be done right. But we have shown that charity, private initiatives and commercial interests can coexist. Nearly 700 NGOs use the Procam platform across the year to raise funds and awareness for themselves. It's a model that we have created which is unique in the world. Where people run and participate for a cause that is close to their heart; where NGOs use the platform to connect deeper with the corporate industry and individual donors; where the donors themselves not just write a check, but also participate and share in the joy; where you walk and sweat, not just for yourself, but also for the benefit of another person.

We showed that charity is something that can be linked beautifully, has its own place, and is not devoid of commercial interest. Commercial interests and private initiatives can coexist. We are very grateful and we're very humbled that Procam's running platform has raised a phenomenal 450 crore.

But it is also about the way it has worked with charities, empowered NGOs, brought them closer to their donors, whether corporate or individual, and got them some name and fame so that they can go out and use that name and fame to raise more money. What you're seeing is a layer called 450 crore. Below that layer, there have been a host of revolutions that has happened.

8. You’ve spent the better part of three decades organizing and innovating events that have been ahead of their time. What is one thing that has continued to drive you and your ambitions over the years?

Anil (brother of Vivek Singh) and I founded the company in 1988 to ameliorate the condition of athletes and sporting events in our country. That is what drives us. People talk about the "good old days" but these are the good days for sports. There weren't any good old days for sports in India back then. We saw how much change was required in the mindset of people. There was no concept of sports management.

We brought a change in the psyche of the country. The vision was simple–to ameliorate the condition of athletes and to ameliorate the condition of sporting events in India. I think we have done a fair bit to achieve that and we have come a long way in achieving that.

9. Procam has hugely contributed to the growth of the Indian sports ecosystem over the years. What does the future roadmap look like for the organization and how does it plan on continuing to be a pivotal pillar of this industry?

We have put things into places whereby our impact transcends just beyond the sporting event. We are in the process of building communities, building hubs, and where people can lead an active lifestyle, not to mention where people can find joy and happiness by leading an active lifestyle. It doesn't necessarily mean participating in an event that we have done so far. Our vision and mission now is to build a culture of sports; to build a sporting mindset in this country; to get more and more people to enjoy the beauty of the sporting movement.

Whatever that movement. Maybe for one it is swimming and for another it is walking or for someone else it is running. Some do ultra-marathons in the desert, but that doesn't matter. We want to build a community that says, "Go out there and move," as it is an essential part of life. Movement is life. So, we are here to connect the larger dots now beyond just the confines of an event and to build a community that enjoys sports as a leisure and a competitive activity or as recreation.

Many times, I hear these words, people say, "My son keeps fit. Huh? He keeps fit". How does your son keep fit? He goes to the gym. That’s great. But that's not a sport. The gym cannot teach you how to cope with that failure and rise again. The gym cannot teach you camaraderie. The gym cannot teach you cooperation. The gym cannot teach you selflessness. Selflessness for your team's success and selflessness for your nation's success.

So sport is life. Playing any sport builds and reveals your character and sport is necessary. Just keeping fit by going to the gym and doing something is not a sport. Sport is something where you play together and you come together and be together with a common goal and purpose.

You sacrifice for the team. You witness and go through failure and start again 100 times. You will fail, but there is no failure if you're willing to get up. It's not been a failure. It's been a learning experience. The only time you can fail is when you don't wish to get up again.