Axis Bank celebrates India’s National Sports Day, proudly supporting 1,100+ athletes, coaches and Sports Professionals

Marking the National Sports Day 2026, Axis Bank, one of the largest private sector banks in India, celebrates India’s steady emergence as a sporting power and is proud to contribute to its growth through strategic partnerships with leading sporting institutions of the country, which have already supported nearly 1,100 athletes, para-athletes, coaches and other professionals within a span of less than 3 years.

Sport has been one of the key focus areas for Axis Bank's CSR strategy, since the launch of its first program under this theme in FY 2024-25. Working with leading institutions in Indian sport, the Bank’s initiatives range from supporting athlete training and development, greater integration and adoption of sports science and medicine, to creating world-class sports infrastructure that shall serve Indian sports for decades to come.

This year's National Sports Day comes in the wake of India's strong performance at the 23rd Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where the country won 39 medals, including 13 golds. At the Games, 14 of the 20 athletes supported under the Bank’s partnership with OGQ secured medals for India across four sports, including 9 Gold medals. Among the medal winners were Judokas Yamini Mourya (Silver– Women’s 57 Kg category) and Unnati Sharma (Bronze – Women’s 63 Kg category), who train under the Axis Bank Judo Development Programme in partnership with Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS).

Speaking on the occasion, Vijay Mulbagal, Group Head - Wholesale Bank Coverage, Corporate Salary, Sustainability & CSR, Axis Bank, said, “Sport has the power to inspire, unite and shape the aspirations of an entire nation. It goes beyond just performance or winning medals; it helps build resilience, foster discipline, and develop character especially among children and youth. Through our work with the country’s leading sports organizations across various Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, we aim to contribute to not only fostering more opportunities for both emerging talent as well as India’s top athletes but also creating world class infrastructure that can serve Indian sports for a long time."

Since 2024-25, Axis Bank has been supporting OGQ, one of India's leading high-performance sports development programmes, running in partnership with the Foundation for Promotion of Sports and Games (FPSG). In FY 2025-26 alone, OGQ supported 468 athletes and para-athletes across 11 Olympic and nine Paralympic disciplines, towards improving access to coaching, sports science, nutrition, physiotherapy, competition exposure and other support services. The programme also helps develop emerging talent at academies supported by OGQ.

The Bank's focus on talent development has also delivered encouraging results in judo. The Axis Bank Judo Development Programme, implemented in partnership with the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), supports female judokas from Manipur, a hotbed for judo talent in India.

The Axis Bank Judo Development Programme currently trains 560 young judokas in Manipur, including 47 promising female athletes who receive fully residential scholarships and advanced training at IIS, Karnataka. Structured coaching, competition exposure, sports science and international training opportunities are nurturing the next generation of Indian judo talent. Notably, Judoka Linthoi Chanambam became the first Indian judoka ever to win a medal at the Junior World Championships, held at Lima, Peru in 2025.

The Bank is also committed to building world class sporting infrastructure in India. The Bank has partnered with the Lakshya Shooting Club to establish the 'Axis Bank Lakshya Shooting Club High Performance Centre' in Navi Mumbai. This state-of-the-art facility is dedicated exclusively to shooting and serves as an integrated training hub for talent identification, athlete development, elite performance training and community engagement.

Notably, the Bank has also partnered with the GoSports Foundation to establish the 'Axis Bank-GoSports Foundation The Performance Institute' (AGTPI) at the Centre for Sports Excellence, Bengaluru. The institute shall focus on advancing India's domestic capabilities in sports science, medicine, research, and innovation.

The Bank has recently announced its partnership with the Sanjeeva Singh Archery Institute Trust (SSAIT) to establish the 'Axis Bank Sanjeeva Singh Olympic Archery Centre' at Deoria, eastern Uttar Pradesh. Envisioned as the first fully-integrated Olympic-standard archery centre in rural India, the centre shall bring together world-class training facilities, sports science, residential infrastructure and education on a single campus.

On this National Sports Day, Axis Bank, together with its partners, salutes India’s athletes, coaches, mentors and all the professionals in the sporting ecosystem whose passion, perseverance and determination continue to shape the present and future of Indian sports.