Indian sports have greatly benefitted from the efforts of the Tata family.
The nation’s first Olympic squad was funded by Sir Dorab Tata. The Tata Group has been a mainstay in Indian sports from the time Sir Dorabji Tata supported a few Indian sportsmen until the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. For many years, Naval Tata supported hockey. Some of India’s best athletes were raised by the Tata Sports Club. A number of Tata employees have competed in the Olympics and won the top coaching and athletic honours in the country.
Under Ratan Tata, who saw sports as a “way of life,” the conglomerate’s participation in sports only increased multifold.
“With 19 sports verticals ranging from football, hockey, archery, horseback riding, boxing, karate, and racket sports, we have been the sports pioneers. We have anything you want,” expressed a representative of the JRD Tata Sports Academy, which was established in Jamshedpur in 1991.
Since its founding in 1996, the Tata Archery Academy has produced archers who have won 24 gold, 9 silver, and 5 bronze medals at national competitions in addition to five gold, six silver, and five bronze medals when competing for their nation.
Prominent Indian archers Deepika Kumari and Atanu Das have been training at the Tata Archery Academy in Jamshedpur for a number of years.
Ratan Tata Supported Athletics Passionately
Under Ratan Tata, the Tata Group’s engagement in sports increased, carrying on a tradition. Among the well-known athletic events supported by the Tata Company that are fostering a culture of fitness and wellness in India are the Tata Mumbai Marathon and the Tata Ultra Marathon.
The first male squash player from India to break into the Top 10 in the Professional Squash Association (PSA) rankings was Saurav Ghosal, who works for Tata Capital.
The Tata Company stepped forward to work with the IPL after Chinese brand Vivo came under fire due to unrest along the India-China border. They were able to secure the sponsorship rights to the lucrative league for a five-year period, from 2024 to 2028. The Women’s Premier League has also been sponsored by them.
The Tata Group is the foundation of the Tata Football Academy, one of India’s top football schools, which has produced many Indian football players who are members of the senior national squad. Additionally, they are the proud owners of Jamshedpur FC, the 2021–22 ISL Shield-winning team.
The conglomerate firm is well-known for its strong relationships with the Indian Olympic Association, which they use to support and assist Indian athletes in addition to the Tata Sports Complex.
Among the organisations supported by the Tata group to support sports in India are the Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High-Performance Centre, the Naval Tata Hockey Academy, the Tata Steel Adventure Foundation, the Tata Football Academy, the Tata Archery Academy, the Centre of Excellence for Football, and the TSAF Climbing Academy.
The group’s initial entry into international sports competitions was the sponsorship of the Tata Open Tennis Championships under Ratan Tata. They also back the Invictus Games, Wimbledon, the Rugby World Cup, and the Pro Kabaddi League. The main sponsor of Gopichand’s Badminton Gurukul is Tata Sons.
Known as the “Wimbledon of chess,” Tata Steel Chess is a major tournament on the world chess calendar that takes place in Wijk Aan Zed, the Netherlands. Before Tata Steel took over as the title sponsor and began to claim the rights to this event in 2007, it was known as the Corus Chess Tournament.
Viswanathan Anand, an Indian chess legend and five-time world champion, was one of the first sports figures to honour the late businessman, stating that he “touched all our lives.”
“It is with profound sadness that we bid farewell to a giant of industry and philanthropy. We received our Padma Vibhushan together, and I was truly touched by his humility and gentle nature,” Anand expressed on X.
Anand further added, “The chess world and I offer our deepest condolences to @RNTata2000, a human being who touched all our lives and always stood for the good of society. Rest in peace.”
Russi Mody, the chairman of Tata Steel at the time, founded the Tata Football Academy in 1987 with Ratan Tata’s support.
Since the early 1990s, the academy has produced football players at the national level. Notable graduates include Rennedy Singh, Dipendu Biswas, Kiran Khongsai, and Kalyan Chaubey, the current head of the All India Football Federation and a previous custodian.
The official associated with the JRD sports complex stated, “TFA has played a pioneering role in Indian football by focusing on nurturing young talent and significantly contributing to the development of football in the country.”
Ratan Tata was present at Jamshedpur FC’s ISL debut in 2017. He engaged with the coaches and players, taking pictures with them. They gave him a signed jersey as well. He was thrilled to see the team emerge and compete in the ISL’s top division.
In 2019, he visited Jamshedpur to inaugurate the hockey academy. Hockey India believes that people will always regard Ratan Tata as a “shining gem.”
The patronage of the Tata Group enabled Ratan Tata to advance the careers of cricketers. Ratan Tata was well-known for his support of Indian cricket players.
In addition, Ratan Tata was well-known for his passion for sports and his backing of Indian athletes and cricket players. The Tata Group provided employment, financial assistance, and opportunity to numerous cricket players in India, both past and present.
Tata Motors formerly provided support to Farokh Engineer. Players like Mohinder Amarnath, Sanjay Manjrekar, Robin Uthappa, and VVS Laxman, on the other hand, greatly benefitted from Air India. However, players like Mohammed Kaif, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and Javagal Srinath used Indian Airlines, which is also associated with the Tata Group, as a platform.
The Tata Group has also backed Jayant Yadav (Air India) and Shardul Thakur (Tata Power). In the meantime, the corporation even backed former player and BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar (Tata Steel). The Tata family also included cricket player Rusi Surti (IHCL, or Indian Hotels Company Limited).
Ratan Tata, Indian Sports will surely miss you for sure!
