With Proper Vision, India Has Huge Potential To Become A Sports Nation: ISST Founder Vipul

The Institute of Sports Science & Technology (ISST) is one of Asia's leading sports education institutes with 25 plus sports education programs with many domestic and international tie-ups.

ISST provides various courses in sports and fitness education, sports management, sports sciences, sports nutrition etc. The strong, 1500 plus ISST alumni network consists of many Olympians, Senior management personnel, international coaches, sports entrepreneurs, senior defence personnel, athletes and sports enthusiasts. Having interned with all top leagues/events in the country like IPL, ISL, PKL, WT20 and Davis Cup our students are placed in top sports companies and organizations in Asia and India, Dr. Vipul Lunawat, Founder-Director of Pune-based ISST told Bizz Buzz in an exclusive interview.

Passionate about promoting sportspersons, Vipul Lunawat believes proper infrastructure and mentoring is the key to winning more medals for India at various levels in various sports.

As an athlete representing India in the sport of roller skating, he realised that they as athletes are lacking in a lot of areas as compared to our western counterparts. "May it be sports sciences or the management of our sport has no proper structure as such,” Lunawat adds.

What is the reason for starting ISST?

I had applied to various international sports universities and institutes around the world to formally study sports management. The research done for my own education helped me realize that there is no such formal sports management program in India and it sparked an idea to start India’s first sports management program back in 2009.

How has your journey as a sportsperson to sports entrepreneur been so far?

I think being an athlete has helped me tremendously to fuel my journey as a sports entrepreneur. I was able to understand the exact shortcomings in an athlete’s life where I saw an opportunity to fulfil the same and create an enterprise around it. I have been an athlete, a team manager and also a coach and having filled the shoes in all these positions has helped me identify the right areas to develop our sports programs.

Why do you think theoretical knowledge is as important as practical knowledge in sports?

Sports today are not just limited to on field performance. It is also about the biomechanically correct technique of posture, it is about knowing what foods give the best nutrition, it is about knowing how best one can avoid serious injuries and the list goes on. An athlete has to study various theoretical subjects to improve his/her performance. Learning the use of sports technologies and how they can drastically improve performance is important for an athlete. Apart from all this, the athlete also has to learn theories for effective marketing, PR, communication and legal aspects to manage his/her professional career in sports.

What does sports teach us apart from keeping oneself physically fit?

Being fit is just one of the other best things sports teaches us. Essential life skills and qualities like team work, patience, acceptance of loss, hard work, dedication, discipline and determination are other benefits of being involved in sports. If you study any successful entrepreneur, you will surely find a history of him/her being involved in sports at some point in life. Sports is the only thing which teaches us how to come back stronger after a huge loss, it teaches us to handle our failures gracefully and achieve success in life.

What sets the ISST apart?

ISST was established with a vision to be the top sports and fitness education institute and values like team work, dedication and discipline which are essential life skills to be successful in any field today. ISST not only believes in providing quality education but also provides holistic development of students through various workshops, internship projects and working one to one with industry experts. We focus on each student who enrols at ISST and provide him/her personal attention to make sure they have a safe, secured and developing career.

How technology and E-gaming, animation, and AI also plays a pivotal role in sports education. Technology has changed how the world functions and with the use of AI many regular tasks have got automated. Students should have in-depth knowledge on how to leverage the use of AI and technology to improve work efficiency. In the world of sports, performance is drastically impacted with the use of top sports technologies. Technologies like UI, UX use animation to create amazing marketing and branding campaigns which are a must for any sports organization. Students need to learn these technologies to have a successful growth in their sports careers. The introduction of E-sports in the Olympics has taken the esports industry by storm and many students can now make successful careers in the esports industry. According to reports, the e-sports industry is bigger than the music and entertainment industry combined.

What is the future of the sports industry?

Sports is another form of war, a non-violent war. It is of immense pride for nations to increase their Olympic medal tallies and be the sporting superpowers in the world. As the importance of fitness grows, the involvement in sports grows too. With many professional leagues, huge infrastructures being developed for sports, leading to increase in participation, a lot of career opportunities have come up too. India is on the brink of hosting its first ever Olympic Games in 2036. If India wins the bid to host this huge event, lot of opportunities will come too as the government will invest substantially in the sports industry. With the level of sports development happening in India and many international stakeholders eyeing India as a potential market, the future of the sports industry certainly looks bright.

Many sportspersons are identified from small towns with no or very little education about what and how we can take steps for the bright future. Many athletes and sportspersons are identified from small towns. However, they do not get adequate opportunities to excel in sports. There should be periodic workshops for such athletes arranged in their respective towns to guide them about career pathways in the field of sports. Online workshops and webinars can also be arranged for such athletes to guide them in career development. Emphasis should be on communication skills as it is the basic requirement for jobs in any industry.

Sportspersons are usually jobless or quit sports after years of hard work. Reason behind it and what can be done?

Many sportspersons do not take academics seriously while they are pursuing their professional or athlete careers. While it is important to focus on performance development, it is also important for these athletes to put effort in getting academic credentials. Subjects like sports management and sports sciences can help these athletes to not only secure their career after they retire, it also helps them to improve their performance while pursuing their athlete careers. It is important that these athletes are provided proper guidance to plan their careers after retirement.

What government measures can help an athlete achieve his dream?

Government has introduced various schemes to promote and support athlete development. Many times the athletes are not aware of such schemes and policies which are provided by the government and in many cases the funds allotted in such schemes are unused. It is also important that the government and also various sports federations should introduce programs in athlete and support staff development. Government can go for public private partnership models to ensure the best quality of education is provided to athletes while they are pursuing their careers as athletes.

How can India become a sporting nation in a couple of years?

India has tremendous potential to become a super power and a sporting nation in the field of sports. Given the youth population of our country, if proper talent identification and grassroots development programs are executed many skilled athletes can be identified. They can be given proper coaching and nurtured to be developed into professionals winning medals at the international stage. While it is true we have great potential, we have to also tackle the issues of corruption and politics in the field of sports and develop a strong sports culture without which achieving Olympic glory can be just a dream.