Mumbai: Olympic Gold Quest (OGQ) is to support woman boxer Laishram Sarita Devi and rising rifle shooter Apurvi Chandela in the run up to their participation in the July 23-August 3 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland and the September-October Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
OGQ, founded by sports legends Prakash Padukone and Geet Sethi, would support Sarita Devi - a former world champion - and Apurvi until the 2016 Rio Olympics, said the Not for Profit body in a media release on Friday.
Sarita Devi, 29, is an accomplished boxer who has won many medals at the international stage including one gold medal and 2 bronze medals at the World Championships and 5 golds at the Asian Championships.
She would be representing the country in the 60kg weight category at the Glasgow Games.
"I have been boxing for India for so many years and and I have hardly ever got any support. The fact that OGQ is now supporting me is such a big boost to my confidence. They have been regularly in touch with me and I already feel much more motivated with their professionalism," said Sarita.
"Boxers suffer a lot of injuries and we need world class medical support and physiotherapy. I know that now I will be well looked after. I want to win an Olympic medal for India. That is my dream," she added.
21-year-old Apurvi Chandela is a promising 10m air rifle shooter who has cemented her place in the Indian team with her consistent performances in the last two years.
She won a gold and a bronze medal at the Intershoot competition in the Netherlands in February where she shot excellent scores and beat many world class shooters.
"The upcoming Commonwealth Games is really my first big multi games competition. The support from OGQ has come at the ideal time for me. I mainly need support for my rifle, pellet testing and coaching. I want to emulate the achievements of senior shooters like Gagan Narang and Vijay Kumar who are also supported by OGQ," said Apurvi.
"We believe strongly in their abilities and will do everything possible to help them win Olympic medals," said former hockey captain and OGQ's CEO Viren Rasquinha.
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