LUCKNOW: As the UP govt led by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath gears up to make the state a sports hub in the country, the state is eyeing massive investment in the sector through the Global Investors Summit (GIS), which will start from Friday in Lucknow.

On February 12, during the Summit, the state's department of sports will host a session titled "Harnessing Opportunities in the Sports Sector in Uttar Pradesh" where several distinguished individuals will address various sports opportunities in UP.

As per a government statement,  all the stakeholders in the sports industry will interact productively during the session. It  will give a thorough overview of the department's policy and present investors and businesses with an opportunity to connect with and invest in it. This phrase has become a reality in UP, especially so in the nation's most populous state, thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Khelo India policy and CM Adityanath's initiatives, the statement claims.

he session's principal speakers will be Carlos Ezpeleta, Suresh Raina, and Abhinav Bindra. Among the notable speakers at the session are Abhinav Bindra, an Olympic gold medalist and the founder of Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance, Carlos Ezpeleta, the chief strategy officer of Dorna (Moto GP), Udit Seth, the founder of TransStadia, Suresh Raina, an Indian cricketer, Yannick Colaco, the founder of Fancode, Benedicte de la Briere, a senior economist with the World Bank, and Paul Paul V Jensen, Managing Director, European Business and Technology Center, among others.

ther speakers include NBA player Dwight Howard, Rugby India CEO Nasser Hussain, British High Commission representative Nidhi Pundhir, Vice President of Global CSR for HCL Foundation Siddharth Upadhyay, and CEO of Inspire Institute of Sport Rushdee Warley. Anand Rathi Investment Banking, a brokerage firm, claims that the sports industry now has enormous potential. Meerut has a long history of sports, more so than any other locality in the state. 
According to the brokerage business, the sports market would increase from USD 27 billion to USD 100 billion during the following five years (2027). The state administration aims to make UP a sports hub given these chances, and the GIS 2023 is likely to play a big role in this.

The MotoGP and the Khelo India University Games 2023 will both be held in UP this year, the statement claims. UP is also transforming into a significant sports centre. The statement added that the GIS will act as a catalyst for the rising demand for sports and fitness models. The sports department is also ready to contribute in whatever way it can to the success of Uttar Pradesh by building new dimensions and turning the state into a trillion-dollar economy.

Large industrial investments are anticipated from the HCL Foundation, Dwight Howard, Rugby India Dream Foundation, Fancode, Moto GP, TransStadia, Abhinav Bindra Targeting Performance, European Business and Technology Center, Vistara, University Sportech, JSW Sports, and HAL State Sports and Fitness. 

Navneet Sehgal, Additional Chief Secretary for Uttar Pradesh's Department of Sports said: ""The Yogi government has been proactive in promoting and implementing P Modi's Khelo India athlete development initiative, as well as developing its own sports development strategies. Our vision is for UP to lead the way in all industries, including sports. The Global Investors Summit will be helpful based on the existing ecosystem." 

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