Sportswear brand Adidas has brought on board India's top table tennis talent, Manika Batra. The company said, with this partnership, it would like to drive credibility and inclusivity in sports.
The partnership focuses on empowering women to realise their dreams, cheering for women to break barriers and create a reverberating impact in the world of sports.
Sunil Gupta, senior director for brand Adidas, India said, "We are thrilled to have Manika Batra as the newest member of the adidas family. She is an inspiration to many young women who aspire to push limits and achieve seemingly unachievable goals. We will continue to drive the attitude, “Impossible Is Nothing" through our athletes while celebrating women in the world of sports."
The paddler is the first Indian woman to win gold in table tennis in the CommonWealth Games', the first Indian player to enter the Top 10 in women's double and top-15 of mixed doubles of ITTF World rankings, and the first Indian woman to enter top-50 of the ITTF Rankings. Owning to her 'Impossible Is Nothing' attitude, Manika joins Adidas' rich roster of women athletes, consisting of names like Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, Hima Das, and Nikhat Zareen.
Batra said, "This is an opportunity every sports person looks forward to. I am very excited and grateful for this to have come my way especially at a time when the brand is celebrating women through their ‘Impossible Is Nothing’ campaign. I hope with my sport and my association with the company, I can empower and encourage women to see possibilities irrespective of the challenges so that the nation can witness many more 'golden girls'."
The Indian sports apparel market was valued $498.68 million in FY2020 and is expected to show a growth of 16.06%. The sportswear brand competes with brands like Nike, Puma, Under Armour, New Balance, Asics. Fila, etc.
