Mumbai: Rugby in India received a huge shot in the arm when worldwide partners of World Rugby, Capgemini announced its partnership with the Indian Rugby Football Union (IRFU) on Wednesday. In a first for Capgemini India, they will support the development of India’s Rugby 7s men’s, women’s, boys and girls teams. This announcement marks yet another step in Capgemini’s rugby story and its commitment towards promoting the agenda of diversity and inclusion through sports.
The announcement marks yet another step in Capgemini’s rugby story and its commitment towards promoting the agenda of diversity and inclusion through sports. It is however a first for Capgemini in India. Through this initiative Capgemini will play an active role in supporting IRFU’s objective to promote and grow the sport in India.
Commenting on the partnership, Ashwin Yardi, CEO of Capgemini in India said, “At Capgemini the principles of diversity and inclusion are a source of creativity, innovation, and inspiration for us. To further strengthen our commitment, we are delighted to partner with IRFU on Rugby 7s as this marks a new chapter in our association with Rugby and our first entry into sports in India. At Capgemini we are a people business, and this association reflects our core brand values of team spirit and fun, coupled with our commitment to creating inclusive workplaces.”
Rahul Bose, President, Rugby India said, “The story of the growth of Rugby as a sport in India is a story of diversity and inclusion. Today our women’s program is as strong as our men’s, our outreach to tribal youth in different parts of the country is as deep as in non-tribal areas. Our commitment to spreading the sport amongst underprivileged populations is as sharp as it is to those who live in more fortunate circumstances. Therefore, to partner with Capgemini who uphold the principles of diversity and inclusion, was a natural decision. Their values mirror ours. And it is with their belief and support that Rugby India pledges to a greater commitment to these values on our path to excellence and garnering laurels for the country.”
Sarika Naik, Chief Marketing Officer and Chairperson of Diversity at Capgemini in India added, “Sports brings people together through shared experiences and drive exceptional engagement particularly with the younger audiences. Most athletes in India come from tier 2 and tier 3 cities. Through this collaboration, we aim to give this sport a fillip and make it more mainstream. Our goal is to motivate more people to play the game and thus provide a path ahead to Get the Future They Want. Rugby India’s ‘Get into Rugby’ program is aimed to make the sport accessible to children of all genders and backgrounds. It is perfectly aligned with our core values and the principles of diversity and inclusion that are at the heart of Capgemini.”
Besides the monetary assistance to IRFU, Capgemeni will also help strengthen the digital presence of the sport, improve spectator and fan involvement and provide the bandwidth to ensure the sport has a wide outreach.
Conceding the fact that the Indian teams need more “playtime”, Rahul Bose said besides ensuring participation in all official tournaments, the IRFU was preparing to gold bilateral series with other rugby playing nations in Asia to ensure that the men’s and women’s players get maximum exposure and experience of playing at a highly competitive level.
