The Inspire Institute of Sport, on Tuesday, announced that
Mizuho Bank Ltd, is set to support 30 high-potential swimmers, as part of the Mizuho High
Performance Swimming Programme. The programme will be based at the IIS in Bellary, Karnataka.
The Inspire Institute of Sport – India’s first privately funded High Performance Training Centre and
India’s largest Olympic Sports development programme – provides 100% scholarships to over 800
talented athletes across centres located in Karnataka, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Haryana and
Manipur. IIS provides access to world class infrastructure, coaching, sports science support and an
integrated academic curriculum, which focuses on holistic development of athletes in an effort to
achieve glory for the nation.
Speaking at the launch, Parth Jindal, Founder, IIS, said, “For an organisation as large as Mizuho
Bank to choose to support the Inspire Institute of Sport is a matter of immense pride for all of us.
It’s moments like these that put a spring in our step in our endeavour. Swimming has over 100
medals and is second only to Athletics in the number of medals a nation can win at the Olympics,
and so for us to establish ourselves as a global sporting powerhouse, it is essential that we excel in
the sport. Going by experience, it takes between seven and eight years for the success of a
programme to show, and our aim is to see an Indian swimmer on the podium at the 2032
Olympics.”
A leading global bank, Mizuho operates five branches and four legal entities in India – Mizuho Bank,
Mizuho Securities, Mizuho Global Services and Mizuho Leasing. It has been present in India for 28
years and has over 1000 employees serving Japanese & non-Japanese clients. It will soon start its
operations in GIFT city.
“Our Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives reflect our corporate values and our commitment
towards having a positive impact on society. Our purpose is to ‘Proactively innovate together with
our clients for a prosperous and sustainable future’. 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. Sports play a vital role in building essential skills like
competitive mindset, resilience, discipline, team work etc., and we hope to inspire many others by
shining a spotlight on the talented athletes from across the country,” said Piyush Agarwal, Senior
Managing Director & Head – Corporate & Institutional Banking (India).
The IIS Swimming Programme, launched in 2023, features two state-of-the-art pools, allowing
swimmers access to its High Performance Center, Hostels and Learning Centre. Through the
programme, the athletes are provided with technical coaching and competition exposure, coupled
with support around sports science, strength & conditioning, nutrition, education, mental health,
and residential facilities.
“The Inspire Institute of Sport is delighted to welcome Mizuho Bank as partners of its Elite
Swimming Programme. This partnership underlines our joint effort and commitment to contribute
to the development of swimming in India, and Mizuho’s support will go a long way in helping us
raise the bar. The growth and success we’ve seen in a short period of time is unprecedented, and
I’m certain that this will prove to be a watershed moment in Indian sport,” said Rushdee Warley,
CEO of the Inspire Institute of Sport. Warley, whose expertise in swimming and high performance
has previously been extended to South Africa Swimming and New Zealand Swimming, has overseen
the progress and qualification of several young swimmers to global competitions, including the
Olympic Games.
A truly global sport with over 160 nations in participation at the Olympiad, Swimming represents
the second highest tally of medals available at the Olympic Games (after athletics). With as many as
111 medals up for grabs at Paris 2024, the Inspire Institute of Sport and Mizuho Bank recognise
swimming as a sport where India must make great strides to be an Olympic nation.
Talented swimmers Aryan Nehra, Maana Patel, Kushagra Rawat, Ishaan Mehra, Astha Choudhury,
Ashmitha Chandra and Bikram Changmai are among those part of the Mizuho High Performance
Swimming Programme. The Inspire Institute of Sport’s expertise in swimming also extends to its
satellite centre in Odisha, where over 4000 young swimmers are impacted through the ‘Learn to
Swim’ programme, in partnership with the Odisha Government.
