Sports India

Teenage tennis sensation Sania Mirza took her tennis player legs onto a fashion ramp last night after signing up a deal to be brand ambassador of a Kerala-based jewellery outlet and said a few more endorsement deals are in pipeline.

Sania, who did not actually sashay down the catwalk despite expectations, said, “I have signed up to be the brand ambassador of Malabar Gold. This is my second endorsement deal after Lotto (the Italian sportswear company). A few more are in the pipeline.” However, she refused to give any details of the financial terms and conditions of the deal that she has signed. “I have been spending Rs. 25-30 lakh annualy over the last few years for my tennis,” she added, as if justifying her decision to go the corporate way like Sachin Tendulkar. The retail chain of Malabar Gold showcases a wide range of gold, diamond, platinum jewellery and an international array of Swiss watches, featuring brand names Rado, Omega, Tissot and Longines. It is endorsed by Kerala superstar Mohanlal.

It is a good sign for Indian sports. The rise of non-cricketing stars as our new icons is helping the popularity of other sports

From luxury cars to bicycle, jewellery to footwear, a cricketer is the obvious choice for any company to sell their product. But with Sania, Karthikeyan and Rathore emerging as India’s new sports icons, corporates are prepared to rally behind them with their lucrative endorsement deals. “Corporates have started to look beyond cricket. The endorsement offers reflect the popularity of individual. And it is because of the hard work of Sania and Karthikeyan who have managed to reach the top at international level, that commercials are coming their way,” says Anirban Das, vice president, Globosport. In case of sports which do not enjoy huge popularity, an individual has to make a break at the top level to attract attention,” he says. It is a good sign for Indian sports, the rise of non-cricketing stars as our new sports icon is helping the popularity of other sports as commercials and media hype generates interest among people, says Sunil Kalra, branch director, Percept India. “Corporates are now willing to associate themselves with sports like tennis and formula car racing, he says. Sania Mirza after her success in WTA Hyderabad attracted the sort of attention that is reserved only for cricketers and such popularity could not have gone unnoticed by corporates.

The impact of Sania’s magic was such that within weeks of her dream run in the court, Sania Mirza.Globosport, the Bangalore company had 18 companies lined up to sign the new sensation of Indian sports. The rush was such that the company thought of taking time and deciding on the offers, says Das. When Karthikeyan raced up to the big league of Formula 1, it was not just the soft drinks and lifestyle companies but even auto ancillary firms and transport firms that came to capitalise on the star power. “Success at the international stage pulls the corporate houses. It acts as a catalyst effect. The money helps in getting good coaching and training facilities abroad which is not affordable with the income from playing, its too little, says Das. Initially it is very tough to convince company’s that Aparna Poppat or say Pankaj Advani has the potential to make it big in sports and can be good brand ambassadors, says Das.

R. Rathore."Corporates are sceptical before signing non-cricketers and we have to demonstrate their value to them, Das says. But in today’s world of corporate culture, where popularity of any sports or individuals is gauged by their appearances in television or newspapers, how much are the sportspersons themselves conscious of advertisement. “We are playing for the country and our primary aim is to perform on the field. Any recognition and incentives that comes on the way of players is always good,” says hockey player Gagan Ajit Singh who was recently signed by the ministry of textiles as the brand ambassador for handicrafts. Though he admits that doing commercials means more responsibility, “People always see and watch you, you are always noticed and the popularity raises expectations. But yes, it is encouraging and helps improve the performance,” he says. With tennis hogging headlines on sports pages and television channels children with parents are heading for the nearest tennis court.

“There is an increase in the number of youngsters and parents coming up with queries for admission after Sania started her dream run in the Australian Open, say tennis lovers. Golf player, Jeev Milkha Singh, who will also promote handicrafts, says, “we cannot compare cricket with other sports. It is followed as a sort of religion here. But yes everyone needs recognition for their hard work and it is good to see that tennis, hockey and golfers are getting their due.

“For ‘real-life-real-heroes’, project of the ministry of textiles we were looking at unsung heroes who suit Indian handicrafts which despite being the best are lagging behind. So we choose non-cricketing sportspersons,” says Kalra. Also the prices the cricketers charge come into play when the companies think of signing any sportsperson for endorsements. “Souravs and Sachins are beyond the reach of everyone. The market has become too cluttered. So the corporates are looking for star players in other fields,” says Kalra

ania Mirza bagged her first brand endorsement deal with Lotto Sport Italia, the sports apparel and footwear company, signing up the tennis star for a three-year contract. Representing Lotto in India, Sierra Industrial Entp. Pvt. Ltd. Managing Director Sunil Taneja confirmed the deal.

“Traditionally Lotto has a long-standing relationship with the game of tennis. Right from Boris Becker to Martina Navratilova - all have endorsed Lotto. Now Sania Mirza will be our brand ambassador,” Taneja said. Sania will be used by Lotto in print, outdoor and below-the-line advertising but a decision has not yet been taken on featuring the 18-year-old Hyderabai in TV ads. “We are not sure about using her in a TV ad yet. We are in the process of finalising our advertising agency and then we will take a call on the creatives,” said Taneja.

Confirming the development, Anirban Das Blah, Vice President (Sales & Marketing), Globosport, the company managing Sania said, “What worked in favour of Lotto was bringing in a lot of international attitude of Lotto to India. “Sania will have a special Signature Line with Lotto that not many international tennis stars have,” Blah said. Lotto will use Sania in on-ground promotion of tennis as she matches up to the company’s slogan “Passion to Perform". The company plans to capture 10 per cent of the sports footwear and apparel market within next three year. Currently the market size of this segment in to the tune of Rs 750 crore.

Tennis icon Sania Mirza was today roped in by Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) for endorsement of its retail brands.

“HPCL is working out a synergy with Mirza who is currently ranked 77 in the world as per the latest WTA rankings. It revolves around her youthful personality and vibrancy of our brands,” HPCL director-Marketing S P Choudhary told reporters here at a function to introduce Mirza as their brand ambassador.

Mirza would promote HPCL’s brands for the next two years.

“We are confident that this blend will go a long way in making our brands more popular in consumers’ mind,” he said.

HPCL has mega brands including CLub HP, Power, Turbojet, HP Milcy, HP Racer, HP Champion and HP Gas in its portfolio.

A tripartite agreement was signed today between HPCL, Mirza and Globosport, a Bangalore-based celebrity management company

Indian state government has offered to pay 100,000 rupees cash to families who have just one daughter in a bid to counteract traditional preferences for sons and balance the sex ratio.

The cash incentive will be paid to the daughters when they reach 20 years of age, provided their parents have had only one child and have undertaken birth control operations, officials said on Thursday.

The southern state of Andhra Pradesh has a sex ratio of 943 females to 1000 males. Sex determination tests and female foeticide are common in small towns and rural areas of the largely farming state.

“I consider it a shame that in our country we ascertain the sex of the baby before it enters the world,” Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy said at a function on the empowerment of woman in the state capital, Hyderabad.

In India, where millions of couples still hanker for a male child, the overall sex ratio is 927 females to 1000 males, down from 945-to-1000 more than a decade ago. It has one of the lowest female-to-male ratios in the world.

Many couples see the boy as growing up to be a bread-winner and providing for them in their old age, unlike a daughter who will be married off and become part of her husband’s family.

India has banned pre-natal sex testing through an act of parliament but non-government agencies say the law is basically toothless and sex determination tests are common.

The Andhra Pradesh government has also appointed India’s leading woman tennis player Sania Mirza – who is from Andhra Pradesh – as “state ambassador of the girl child” as part of its campaign to protect the female child.

Eighteen-year-old Mirza, the first Indian woman to get into the third round of a Grand Slam, will feature on billboards with the caption: “Your daughter may be the next champion".

The nation’s ‘Sania Mania’ reached a new high on Thursday with the first publication entirely devoted to the teenage tennis sensation Sania Mirza hitting the stands.

The 48-page Bengali booklet Sania Sania includes a long interview with the 18-year-old girl, who has pleasantly surprised the country’s tennis buffs recently by winning the WTA tournament in Hyderabad after becoming the first ever Indian woman to reach the third round of the Australian Open.

Among those who paid glowing tributes to Sania’s exploits in the publication were former Davis Cuppers Naresh Kumar, Jaidip Mukerjea and Subroto Bose and celebrated coach Akhtar Ali.

The booklet, published by Satyajug Prakasahn, has also incorporated comments by Indian cricket skipper Sourav Ganguly and national soccer captain Bhaichung Bhutia on the rise of Sania.

Reaching round three of the Australian Open, winning the Hyderabad Open title and beating US Open champion Kuznetsova at the Dubai Open…It has indeed been a great year for Sania Mirza and Indian tennis. Experts from an interview with Sania.

You are ranked world number 77 after your fair showing in the Dubai Open. Do you feel that your year-end target of getting in the top 50 bracket will come sooner rather than later?

I would like to remove one 7 from that 77 soon! It has been a great year for me. I did not imagine that I will be able to get in the top 80 so soon but I am really high on confidence now. Australian Open for me was the key as my display there gave me the confidence and the belief that I belong here.

How is your ankle feeling now and will you be playing in the Miami Open?

The ankle is much better now but I do not want to take a chance. I might play in the Miami Open if it gets healed on time although nothing is certain yet.

You are now the brand ambassador of Lotto sports brand. What made you sign with them despite potential offers from other brands?

My display at the Australian Open gave me confidence ..

Lotto’s commitment to promote tennis in India was what made me sign with them. As a number one women tennis player in India, I have a responsibility to promote tennis in India and Lotto is taking the same initiative.

You are also launching your own signature line with Lotto?

I’m very excited about it. There are only three other players in the world who have their own signature line - Agassi, Graf and Edberg and to join this group is really amazing. I am thrilled by the prospect.