New Delhi [India], August 29 (ANI): On National Sports Day, Vedanta Limited, India's leading critical minerals, energy transition metals, energy, and technology conglomerate, reaffirmed its commitment to this year's theme 'Levelling the Playing Field: Sport for Social Inclusion,' by empowering nearly 3 lakh lives through transformative sports initiatives in FY25.

The initiatives span football, archery, hockey, marathons, squash, karate, padel and para-sports, making it one of India's largest corporate-led grassroots sports movements.

Vedanta's sports vision is to champion India's sporting transformation by empowering communities and enabling global podium success. Through strategic investments in infrastructure, coaching, and community engagement, Vedanta is building a robust sporting ecosystem that nurtures grassroots talent, as per a press release.

Football has become a launchpad for young footballers in states like Goa and Rajasthan with Sesa Football Academy (SFA) and Zinc Football Academy (ZFA). Since its inception in 1999, SFA has nurtured over 8,000 students and produced more than 230 professional footballers, including national team stars like Adil Khan and Denzil Franco. Since 2017, SFA has also been continuously supporting the Vedanta Women's League (VWL) in Goa, providing the largest platform for more than 1,400 women footballers. Over the years, 12 SFA players have represented India internationally, with the latest being Pearl Fernandes, who progressed through the ranks of the Vedanta Women's League before earning her place in the Indian squad for the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-17 Championship in Bhutan.

Mohammed Kaif and Prem Hansdak from Zinc Football Academy have represented India in SAFF U-17 and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualifiers. A highlight of this academy is its recent launch of the Zinc Football Girls Academy at Zawar, Udaipur, in partnership with All India Football Federation (AIFF). As one of India's first residential football academies for girls, the facility is equipped with advanced F-Cube training technology and has inducted 20 under-15 players from five states.

Players from both these academies have been signed by Indian Super League (ISL) clubs including Hyderabad FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giants, etc.

Beyond football, Vedanta is nurturing grassroots talent in archery, athletics, and karate, training over 300 tribal youth in Odisha's Kalahandi with 110 children currently receiving professional coaching. Among them, Sanjay Majhi made history by winning Odisha's first national-level individual archery medal in over two decades at the NTPC Senior Nationals 2024. 'My coach Simanchal Kadraka is a national level archer himself. Additionally, Vedanta Archery Training Initiative has held my hand since the beginning, helping me with everything from sports equipment to my diet.', said Sanjay Majhi.

In Jharkhand, Vedanta ESL Steel's academy supports 50 young archers who have won over 50 medals, including standout performances by Aarti Kumari (triple gold, recognized by the Olympic Archery Association), Kritika Kumari, and Gayatri Majhi at national tournaments.

Supported by Vedanta Sesa Goa, Sakshi Kale - Goa's first para-athlete, became the first-ever gold and silver medalist from Goa at Para Khelo India Games and also represented India at the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Paris. Extending support to underprivileged individuals, the company provides free squash training to 20 kids in Dharavi, Mumbai, one of the largest slums in the world.

Vedanta champions the #RunForZeroHunger campaign by supporting marathons across Delhi, Jaipur, Udaipur, Mumbai and Bangalore. Through this initiative, every kilometre run, translates into nutrition for a child at Nand Ghar, Vedanta's flagship social impact project that is transforming Anganwadis into modern childcare centres.

Alongside grassroots sports development, Vedanta is also investing in professional and emerging sports. The company owns Vedanta Kalinga Lancers, Odisha's premier hockey team, underscoring support for India's national game. In the 2024-25 season of the Hockey India League, the team scored the highest number of goals, with star forward Thierry Brinkman emerging as the top scorer.

Vedanta has also recently debuted in the World Padel League with the launch of its padel team, Vedanta Leopards, which finished as runners-up in their inaugural season. As India pays tribute to its sporting heroes on National Sports Day, Vedanta's grassroots-to-global sports initiatives showcase how corporate commitment can drive impact at scale from enabling grassroots participation and promoting gender inclusion to investing in professional and global sports that reflect the aspirations of a young nation. (ANI)