According to an official release on November 9, ITM Group of Institutions, best known for its business schools, top-notch hospitality institutes, universities and more, announced its association with Srikanth Kidambi, India’s top Badminton player and winner of 4 world Super Series titles in 2017. The partnership’s two-fold objective is to inspire the student community to pursue their dreams with the passion and dedication of athletes like Srikanth Kidambi, and to promote and support professional sports education in India. Driven, ambitious and versatile are qualities that best describe Kidambi and these qualities are well reflected in the ITM Group of Institutions, which has emerged as India’s fastest growing and most respected Education Group. ITM is also developing Sports Academies within its campuses, with the goal of integrating professional sports training and mainstream education for building athletes’ careers.
Since its inception, ITM’s vision has been to provide competitive and professional learning opportunities to aspiring students that suit the needs of the industry. So in order to offer students a role model for their own life and career challenges, ITM and Kidambi have decided to join hands. Being a global sensation and a hero to youngsters, Kidambi would be the right person to inspire students to “do what you love” and excel in their loves. In order to shape the future of budding professionals in sports, ITM has also roped in Badminton rising star H S Prannoy. Through these associations, ITM intends to provide a platform for aspiring athletes to get access to professional training while continuing their education, resulting in more enduring careers.

Commenting on this association, Kidambi said, “It is a great pleasure to be associated with ITM Group of Institutions. Being known for its profound interest in education and commitment towards education to all, I along with ITM wish to shape a better future for students.” Addressing the audience, he further added, “If one pursues what they believe in, they will succeed at the highest levels. After losing in Rio, I didn’t sleep, I kept thinking about that quarter-final which I lost, that day I lost one of the most important matches of my career. But that setback is well behind me and I’ve trained and perfected my abilities, leading to Four Super series titles in this year, which is dream come true for me. I would like to convey to each one of you that a dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work. It is important to not lose hope. There are times when you will suffer devastating losses, but remember that there will be days when you succeed beyond your dreams too!”

Speaking about the association, Dr. PV Ramana, founder & chairman of ITM Group of Institutions said, “I have had the unique pleasure of witnessing thousands of careers taking off at ITM and dreams coming true, as our students turn to face the world, emboldened by their experiences at ITM and their desire to achieve something big. Taking this vision of connecting with many more students, we gladly welcome on board Srikanth Kidambi and H S Prannoy to work with us on our vision of “Do-What-You-Love.”

Addressing the audience, Prannoy said, “I am honoured to be representing a brand that has such a great legacy and I am looking forward to what will be a special association. It is the perfect podium for me to give something back to the youth of India who are my biggest fans. More importantly, ITM’s Sports Academies will help sports-minded professionals strike the right balance between education and sport.”

The association marks the commencement of a long term commitment to create a seamless ecosystem for the budding professionals for a career within sports and mainstream industries.