TATA Steel Ltd will receive two awards under the ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puraskar 2009’ for its remarkable contribution made in the field of sports. TATA steel has been commemorated under two categories namely, Community Sports Identification and Nurturing of Budding Young Talent & Establishment and Management of Sports Academies of Excellence. The award will be presented on August 29, 2009 by Her Excellency, Mrs Pratibha Patil, Honourable President of India at a specially organized function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan.

To recognize the contribution made to sports development by entities other than sportspersons and coaches, the Government of India has for the first time introduced this new award entitled “Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar”. It has four categories, namely, community sports development, promotion of sports academies of excellence, support to elite sportspersons and employment to sportspersons. The nominations were considered by a panel of eminent sportspersons and sports administrators headed by Kum. Indu Puri.

Mr. Partha Sengupta, Vice President, Tata Steel Ltd, said “We are happy to have received this award. Our endeavor will always be to identify potential sportspersons and provide them the best, in terms of training with modern techniques, tactics, physical and psychological conditioning and related inputs. The award has infused confidence in us to further our initiatives. TATA Steel believes that India has a huge pool of sportspersons who should be trained upto their capacities.”

Today, Tata Steel spearheads the corporate promotion of sports at a generic level through its relentless and constant encouragement to professional sportspersons, amateurs and its own employees. He added further, “We have used our know-how and resources in the area of sports to help tribals discover their untapped potential, enabling them to gain a foothold in the social mainstream and the confidence to compete and excel. In fact, recently Deepika Kumari, trained at Tata Archery Academy has bagged a gold medal during the 11th Youth World Archery Championship, held at Ogden (Utah), U.S”

The cause of sports promotion and the development of outstanding sportsmen and women began at Tata Steel five decades ago in five disciplines. It has now become a way of life. The number of sports disciplines have increased from five to twenty-one. A full-fledged Sports Department in Tata Steel was created to consolidate sports management and administration under a single umbrella. This has paid handsome dividends -5 Padmashrees, 30 Arjuna Awardees, 21 Olympians and 32 Asian Medalists.

Tata Steel is the only Indian company to invest in world-class facilities, create academies and to maintain and manage international level arenas. The cadets of its Tata Football Academy, the nursery for the sport in India, as well as those of the Tata Archery Academy, the only one of its kind for archery, have justified the faith that the Company has in the talent and ability of its youth. Today, a significant part of the Indian Football team, India’s best archers, some of its finest cricketers, athletes, shooters, a Grand Master and several national and international legends have realised their dreams as a result of the support they have received from TATA Steel Sports Academies.