The new corporate shift for Indian athletics

In a landmark domestic feat, four of India's fastest sprinters recently shattered the men's 4x100m national record, which had stood unbroken for 15 years.

- Avishek Roy

NEW DELHI: Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Amlan Borgohain and Manikanta Hoblidhar clocked a blistering 38.69 seconds at the India Open Relays. All represented Reliance Foundation Youth Sports (RF) in Chandigarh, and the new national record now stands in the name of RF.

The feat, though, wasn't just about raw speed; it also symbolised a shift in Indian athletics. For the first time, Athletics Federation of India (AFI) has opened domestic competitions to private sports organisations, allowing entities like RF and JSW Sports to field their own teams.

RF is the non-profit arm of Reliance Industries, and JSW Sports is backed by the steel giants. They train their athletes at elite state-of-the-art high-performance centres.