Champions Series-5: Vivek Sharma on Empowering Indian Atheletes for Olympics Through Non-Profit OGQ

[Music] get connected to the movement I think this is something you know we have seen this is not going to happen overnight this is not going to happen if we all don't help it needs everybody's help um it's a big task we're way behind and uh you know we want to be proud We want to be proud the next Olympics is right here in Olympics and I think we want to make sure that that is the best ever Olympics you know for India's history and that is possible there's a lot of effort going on and you know I think with everybody's support we can definitely make it uh not just the best but you know even set the ground for the next Olympics we just have a small presentation a little momento that I would like meaai chanu to present VI it's a it's a small momento that we've got it's fairly heavy but Mera can lift it I'm not sure about VI can we have a huge round of applause for both [Applause] please I also want to say that um you know after mea won the Tokyo silver medal uh they had the weightlifting National Championship 3 months after that the number of girls that participated tripled just because of a hero and role model like mirabai chanu to today if you go to the Northeast every Academy is filled with young girls dreaming of becoming the next mirabai chanu in 2009 when we started supporting CNU and sa there were 30 batminton coats synu was 13 years old uh there were 30 batminton coats in Hyderabad 30 in Bangalore today anecdotal evidence tells us that there are over 7,000 batminton coats in Hyderabad 7,000 in Bangalore the impact of Heroes and Role Models so on one thing what the work that oq does brings Pride to the nation you'll all feel felt proud like seeing that video uh but in another way it gives a dream to some young kid in in some Far Corner in in India some poor boy and girl in some Village that they can have a hope and a dream and and that's intangible it's hard to measure that uh but those kids will in 8 to 12 years uh be representing India at the Olympics my name is V Sharma live here in Boston I'm part of ogq been working with ogq ven in team for quite some time and on behalf of ogq I would like to welcome all of you to this very unique first of its kind event in Boston really appreciate you taking time out on Friday evening to come and uh listen about the ogq story and support India's dream for winning more and more gold medals in Olympics and other big events you know but then on behalf of all of you I would like to also welcome ogq team it's the first time that they have come to Boston and I've been talking to wein who's the CEO of that you know one of the things I want to do is to really expose them as well as expose all of you to the ogq team you know and then expose them to the to the Boston uh C you know Boston um uh you know Indian diaspora especially about you know what they are doing and how they are working you know and then how it is important for all of us to really become part of it I got involved with ogq about what 3 or four years ago you know uh Matt Vin was very impressed with the work they are doing and the impact that they make all of us have you know grown up in India or here and then somehow been frustrated with I think the progress India makes in in Olympic Games or asiad or even Commonwealth you know uh it has taken us so long to reach to six medal T I think it was in Tokyo Olympics prior to that it has always been barely one bronze medal One Medal here there was a gold medal here right so and we always think why is it that you know we can't win this thing we are so good in few other sports we are so good in a lot of things and the question is we've all felt frustrated and we all may have tried to do something but I can tell you most of us didn't know what to do really about it you know and I can also tell you most of us didn't really even know how to go about it I got really impressed with what they do and how they do and how they work and I think proof is in the pudding last two Olympics we have seen the impact uh of the number of medals that India has wi not only in Olympics but also par Olympics you know which is also very important I can also tell you this is a very different world in um winning Olympic gold medal we watch Olympics some of us went to Olympics I know J you and Sonia were there we were there it looks very exciting to go there but what goes in the life of an athlete to reach to that destination and that one day one event one minute one second one point changes the whole Destiny and they work for years and months and days and years and you'll hear Mira's Story how long has she worked to really reach to the stage where she has reached and the amount of discipline and effort they have to maintain to really win that one goal that make all of us so proud you know I remember recently when some of the you know gold medals won we went uh you know to some of the events in Olympics and it was so good to see India representing and India doing well but what has taken us to reach there and what is required to really take us to the next level We Are all uh very excited the next Olympics is in our backyard in Los Angeles and 3 years and 10 months 11 months right so there's a lot to be done and hopefully that Olympic will do much better ogq Foundation started by two of India's sporting Legend G Sati who was the billiard champion and uh and prakash padone the badminton you know all England badminton and the world number one and they actually started because of the same frustration they said why God what has taken them to reach the stage they reach and they realize the pain of what has taken and they had resources they had there despite all of that you know the challenges they had and they said we have to go through this can you imagine a lot of people who don't have resources what it really takes so they started the foundation with the same objective the foundation has done exceedingly well under Vin's leadership wein after leaving uh you know after retiring from hockey went to a business school ISB and then joined ogq and has taken it to a different level that it is today today ogq supports about 400 athletes in India Junior to senior that is preparing for next Olympics in Asia and we'll talk all about about it we also joined by aay Shri Ram who was the uh Jam sorry who is the X number one badminton player in India he's represented India in badminton has been number one and then Anushka parik Anushka is here she's also member of the she was number one in mixed doubles in India badminton she has also played in both ha and uh Anushka demonstrated their skills at the bedminton club yesterday with a lot of the local talent and we're very excited you know that we were able to see some of their shots and some of the people were there you know and then of course the star of the evening is you know uh Mira B chanu who won silver medal in the Tokyo Olympic she has been world number one we so VI Welcome to our show thank you thank you and um so let's this is a great organization and I did interview the other members of ogq fascinating story everybody has so my question to you is we we know here in Boston that you are a great entrepreneur executive and philanthropist but many of us did not know your interest in sports so tell us how that started and how did you come to work with ogq so I think all of us first of all thanks for having me I think all of us growing up in India have been interested in some sports the other sure right and we also have been frustrated that India hasn't done well in some of the major International Global competitions uh including Olympics right you know I think we' have seen the history you know if you win a medal it used to be a big thing but you know it has also been a challenge I got introduced to this organization through a friend of mine and he told me about what they do and how they work and it was really fascinating so it has been several years since I've been Associated um I have spent time with them in India seen how they work the with the athletes how they train how they coach and and it has been an amazing story of working with them so I'm really happy and excited that they could come in Boston to share their story with the you know with our Boston Community with our Boston friends so tell me uh so who are these people and why they are here and part is their goal sure sure so actually organization was founded by two of you know one of the world's best athletes you know G Siti who was the world number one in bards and prakash pone who was the world number one in bedminton and with the same intent that the Olympic sports and the athletes you know needs lot more help than what they got in their Sports when they were really growing up the current CEO of the organization is Vin rascona who was the hockey captain of India and he has been working in the organization for the last several years and it's taking it through this where it is um it's supported by a lot of likeminded uh individuals who believe in the same mission that we need to see India progress in making you know um for Olympics as well as par Olympics you know do well so the organization has ex Olympians and international level athletes as part of the team members we have X India number one in badminton we have TT player we have multiple athletes that are really part of the team you know I interviewed them in our earlier series and my God what enthusiasm they have to really help and it's you know the one thing also I noticed was that if you look in most of the organizations people who are heading and all they really have no experience in what they doing here absolutely right ogq everybody involved has been you know athlete there so how that happened no I think I mean listen it's an organization really formed with only one purpose to help Indian athletes get better and it's a very complex ecosystem because there is government agencies that's trying to do things there is federations for sports that's trying to do things there are other companies that try to do this and there are these organizations so it's a very complex system how do you make sure that the athlete is getting the right level of training and the right time to prepare for these major events so ogq was founded with the same objective what this team does in detail and you talk to wein is pretty complex to navigate all of that and make sure that athlete is getting the right Health attention and the right time timing is important in athletics if you get injured and if you need the therapist right away you need the therapist right away right so it's supported by at least is actually uh you know work it's managed by professional athletes who have been there at the right level and who understands the complexities of the the process and that's how they are able to navigate and that's why you see impact that they make you know the number of medals that the Indian athletes have won in the last two Olympics and Par Olympics a significant portion of them have been supported by ogq so now this delegation is uh recently visited Boston uh you basically you were a s person behind the the their visit here at to Boston area what what is the mission of particular where this United States comeing to this game so I think two or three things one is that there's a big Indian diaspora right so we want Indian people who are really passionate I went to see Olympics this year there were a lot of Indians there including some families from Boston we all passionate and we want to go to see Indian Sports and athletes and they do well next Olympics is in Los Angeles so we have our eyes on that we should make sure that you know we represent well in the olypic as well as the athletes do well and it's aware awareness you know this is a nonprofit that needs lot of support and a lot of resources to really train athletes um V must have told you we supporting about what almost 400 or so athletes right now and it's an expensive proposition to really train these athletes at the level where they can compete at the world class level you know so it's a it needs help and we need support from people in Boston Boston is a very philanthropic place you know look forward to you know getting the aonian Indian diaspora and other people getting more involved with the cause and have fun I think this is a fascinating story you know you interview some of the athletes how they have come from where and today they are world champion in their Sports it's such an amazing journey you know as I was talking with them I said it is so inspiring I said this is the best part of my job to get these people get inspired by them and I think I have for the next one year I have enough energy now and the vision you know just stay focused on yourself and that's right and you know fil you know one thing I learned also all three of them I spoke they said that uh the failure is very important and if you are a sportsman or Sports woman you just get used to failure yeah and then it becomes your great asset we in our life we don't don't know how to embrace we don't know how we don't know how to embrace failure so I said what a wonderful lesson now let's come back to the the sports part and you instruments and uh uh Olympics in uh in Los Angeles here coming up uh as I am was born in India and uh I'm now a US citizen and this conflict always goes when it comes to the sports team uh what is your take on that that how if the US and Indian teams are competing uh what is going on in your mind I want to get into your mind and see no I know it's very difficult you know and we seen this in cricket game recently India I played against us and listen I think as first of all as a first generation immigrant you know we want India to reach a level where we feel really comfortable I think we work to do there right but if there's a sport where India and us is competing I think it's going to be tough challenging for us you know I think whichever team wins we will feel like a winner because you know we support both of them but I think there's work and room for India to improve a lot and reach a stage on the international Olympic level not in cricket and some other sports you know we already there and uh I'm really looking forward to La Olympics there's a lot of effort going on to see that we make significant progress from where we ended up in Paris Paris was significant progress over Tokyo right so we would like to see that La actually you know mov up and then we move so so if you are a indianamerican to this is the one Olympic where we are always winners whether we lose or whatever that's exactly right I think you know I mean whether us wins or India wins I think you know we should all feel proud of so we were in Paris recently me with my wife and and as daughter we went to see us events where us athletes were participating you know and then we had such a a broad moment we saw three gold medal winning events and it was very exciting to be part of that Journey there was no Indian participation it was pure American but it was very exciting and then you know we wish all the athletes the best in the event but right now I'm rooting for India to really move up and then hopefully we have lot more potential you know to really win more medals that so uh VI thank you so much for supporting this organiz this is a great organization it's Mission sounds like absolutely fantastic and I think Sports is the way to to move forward yeah no I think it's important because the impact it makes on people you know it makes on people like we are involved in are involved in a lot of other nonprofit so we always talk about generational impact and I think Sports is a phenomenal way to really impact not only the athlete but the society the communities and in India's case even the states and the country has such a big impact right so we're very excited to be a part of this journey and look forward to having more support from Boston thank thank you so much you are welcome [Music]