Reliance Foundation Clinches FICCI Award For Driving India’s High-Performance Sports Revolution

In her acceptance speech, Nita Ambani articulated a powerful vision for the future. (File pic/News18)

Reliance Foundation (RF), under the visionary guidance of its Founder and Chairperson, Nita M Ambani, was honoured with the prestigious Best Corporate Promoting Sports-High Performance award at FICCI’s India Sports Awards 2025. The accolade, presented at the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry’s (FICCI) annual summit, recognises RF’s transformative efforts to elevate Indian athletes onto the global stage through sustained, scientific, and multidisciplinary support.

In her acceptance speech, Nita Ambani articulated a powerful vision for the future, declaring, “The coming decade will be a golden era for Indian sport! Together with the government, corporates, bodies like FICCI, our young athletes, and their families, we hope to make India a truly global multi-sporting powerhouse! This is not only about medals, this is nation-building through sport.”

This award underscores RF’s strategic shift beyond grassroots engagement to focus intensely on high-performance development. Through initiatives like the Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre (RF HPC) in Odisha, the foundation provides world-class facilities, expert international coaching, and crucial sports science support—including physiotherapy, nutrition, and psychology—to elite Indian talent. This holistic approach has already yielded substantial results, with RF-supported athletes consistently delivering strong performances.

RF’s investment has helped nurture athletes like national record holder Jyothi Yarraji (100m hurdles) and sprinters like Amlan Borgohain, among others, who have secured numerous national and international medals. The foundation’s support spans across multiple disciplines, including athletics, shooting, judo, and wrestling, demonstrating a commitment to creating a sustainable pipeline for Olympic and international glory.

The award ceremony at FICCI TURF 2025, a platform dedicated to charting India’s sporting progress, celebrated the crucial role of corporate entities in funding and structuring India’s competitive sports ecosystem. Reliance Foundation’s recognition highlights its standing as a key private sector driver in turning India’s aspirations of becoming a major sporting nation into a reality.