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To practice what he preaches, Kohli drops Pepsi, fairness products

Agencies
September 16, 2017

New Delhi, Sept 16: Keen to be seen as a socially responsible youth icon, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli has stopped endorsing soft drink maker Pepsi and fairness products because of their association with junk food and racism.

The 28-year-old swashbuckler is among the most sought after for endorsements but Kohli has decided that he would lend his name only to brands which he himself uses and believes in, people in the know of his endorsement deals said today.

The first casualty of this principle has been his association with Pepsi, a company he had been endorsing since 2011. Kohli refused to renew the contract which ended in April this year, saying at the time that he would not ask people to consume something that he himself does not.

Kohli has time and again endorsed healthy lifestyle, which has been key to his awe-inspiring fitness levels and endorsing a soft drink certainly appeared to be a contradiction.

While Kohli's management firm Cornerstone refused to answer queries on the matter, a market insider, who has worked closely with the Indian captain on brand deals, said he is now more aware of his social responsibilities.

"Virat also no longer endorses fairness creams or products of that genre. Virat has risen through the ranks by virtue of talent and hard work," the official, who has worked with Kohli told PTI today.

"The fairness products which relate one's success with skin tone is something that goes against the values for which Virat stands," he added.

Industry experts also feel that since Kohli is currently the brand ambassador of global nutrition company 'Herbalife', which deals in nutrition and weight management care products, it is only appropriate that he picks his other endorsements carefully.

Herbalife also has sports drinks on their product list. "If Virat is endorsing health products of Herbalife, endorsing any junk food or fizzy drinks contradicts with his image also," said another image consultant, who has worked with top celebrities from all walks of life.

Currently, Kohli charges Rs 4.5 to Rs 5 crore per day for a brand. For any celebrity, the per day charge could mean either shooting for the brand or making appearances.

Pepsi did not say how much it paid Kohli for endorsing the brand. But it is known that he has over Rs 100 crore deals with sports goods major Puma and tyre manufacturers MRF.

Puma makes make all the customised merchandise for Kohli, just like it has done all these years for sprint king Usain Bolt.

The Indian captain also endorses luxury German car brand Audi and Tissot watches to name a few. Kohli currently endorses 17 brands -- all carefully chosen keeping in mind his social connect.

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News Network
February 19,2020

New Delhi, Feb 19: An Indian wrestler whose family story was immortalised by Bollywood is hoping to create a blockbuster of her own by becoming her country's first world champion in the high-octane sport of mixed martial arts.

Ritu Phogat, who initially followed her father and two elder sisters into wrestling, is now charting a new path after making an explosive MMA debut in November.

Phogat's father Mahavir, and her sisters Geeta and Babita were the subject of 2016 movie "Dangal", telling the story of the wrestling coach who raised his daughters to become Commonwealth champions.

But Ritu, 25, is forging a different career. After winning her first MMA fight in less than three minutes, she will face China's Wu Chiao Chen at this month's ONE Championship fight night in Singapore, which will be held behind closed doors because of the coronavirus.

The youngest Phogat daughter is trading an attempt at an Olympic medal to tackle MMA, but she said she was attracted by the lure of making history in her new sport.

"I got a chance to train with the best in Singapore and there was no looking back," she told AFP during a promotional event in New Delhi.

"There was the 2020 Olympic Games but I thought that I would do well in mixed martial arts. I have come with an aim of becoming the first girl from India to become a world champion in mixed martial art."

The nimble but strongly built Phogat said wrestlers were a good fit for the fast-growing contact sport, which is yet to take off in India.

"Top seven champions in mixed martial arts are wrestlers, so I believe that wrestlers have an edge in this sport with their ability to take down the opponent," she said.

"It is all a matter of skill. You just have to practise hard. I think MMA is not much different from wrestling in terms of preparation.

"One has to take risks to do something new and as an athlete I am ready to embrace every challenge."

She added: "Without the support of my father and sisters I would not have been where I am. My father always taught me to be far-sighted, hard-working and with strong resolve. Three traits will take you a long way."

Phogat won 48kg gold at the 2016 Commonwealth Wrestling Championship and followed it up with a silver in the under-23 world championships the next year.

"She used to watch a lot MMA and one day told me that I will win a gold in this game. So we all backed her and the result is there for everyone to see," he said.

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Agencies
August 6,2020

New Delhi, Aug 6: The BCCI on Thursday suspended the IPL title sponsorship deal with Chinese mobile phone company Vivo for the event's upcoming edition amid heightened tensions in Sino-India diplomatic ties.

The BCCI sent out a one-line statement, without giving details, saying that Vivo would not be associated with the IPL this year. "The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and vivo Mobile India Pvt Ltd have decided to suspend their partnership for Indian Premier League in 2020," the statement said.

Meanwhile, Vivo released its own statement saying that the two entities "have mutually decided to pause their partnership for the 2020 season".

Vivo won the IPL title sponsorship rights for five years from 2018 to 2022 for a reported sum of Rs 2,190 crore, approximately Rs 440 crore per annum.

The two parties are now working out a plan in which Vivo might come back for a fresh three-year period starting 2021 on revised terms.

However, a top BCCI official offered a different view. "Here we are talking about diplomatic tensions and you expect that after November, when IPL ends and before the next IPL starts in April 2021, there would be no anti-China sentiment? Are we serious?" a veteran BCCI official said on conditions of anonymity.

The anti-China sentiment in the country peaked after the violent face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in eastern Ladakh. India lost 20 soldiers in the clash, while China also acknowledged unspecified casualties.

The stand-off at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) caused outrage across India with several calls for boycotts of Chinese companies and products.

The BCCI is now likely to float a tender for new IPL title sponsors as mandated by its constitution. The glitzy T20 league starts on Sept. 19 in the UAE, forced out of India due to the rising COVID-19 cases.

The new development is in stark contrast to what came out of Sunday's IPL's Governing Council meeting, where it was decided that Vivo, along with all the other sponsors, will remain on board.

This was after the BCCI had announced in June that all sponsorship deals pertaining to IPL will be reviewed in the aftermath of the clash in the Galwan Valley.

However, after Sunday's meeting, there was a huge backlash on social media about the BCCI holding on to Vivo.

Both parties then began thrashing out an amicable separation plan, at least for this season.

However, the end of this deal could spell losses for the franchises as they get a substantial share from the sponsorship pool. Half of the annual Vivo sponsorship money is distributed equally among eight franchises, which comes to Rs 27.5 crore.

"As of now, it will be very difficult for the BCCI to match the sponsorship amount at such short notice. Therefore, both BCCI and the franchises should be prepared to lose out on some money -- BCCI more but each franchise from Vivo's exit will potentially lose 15 crore," the official said.

"This year will be difficult for everyone but the show must go on," the official said.

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Agencies
May 9,2020

Tokyo, May 9: As the world continues to grapple with coronavirus pandemic, the organisers of Tokyo Game Show have cancelled 2020 showpiece event.

TGS 2020 was slated to be played from September 24 to September 27 at the Makuhari Messe convention center. However, there now talks going on for holding an online event instead.

According to the Verge, this is the first time that TGS has ever been cancelled since it started in 1996.

TGS 2020 gained more attention because of its status as the last major trade show before the launch of the upcoming next-gen consoles, the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

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