Indiantelevision.com Team

(14 March 2007 6:00 pm)

MUMBAI: Christel House, a not for profit organisation committed to the development of underprivileged children through education in association with sports lifestyle apparel brand Puma Sports India is hosting the Christel House Open charity golf tournament.

The event will be held on 16 March at 1:45 pm in Mumbai.

Puma India MD Rajiv Mehta says, "Christel House and we share a common passion for sports and with Christel House's commitment to realizing the needs of underprivileged children, we hope to build greater awareness and generate funds for the cause of Christel House.

"Our partnership with Christel House is in fact a part of our endevour to give back to the communities in India and of creating value for them. As a part of this association, Puma India will take the lead sponsorship of Christet House's flagship fund raising event Christel House Open Golf in 3 leading Indian cities including Mumbai, Bangalore and Delhi this year.

The Christet House Open commenced in India in Bangalore in 2003, and has since then created emotional bonds for all its participants with the cause of Christel House children. Every year, more than 100 enthusiastic golfers participate in the event with profiles ranging from CEOs and MI)s of large corporates and other eminent sports personalities.

Christel House executive advisor Raju Shahani says, "Our partnership with Puma India is an endorsement for our efforts to facilitate a holistic education for the underprivileged children. The Christel House Golf Open, now in its fifth year in India is growing in stature and will hopefully emerge as the most coveted charity golfing event in the country.

Mehta adds that Puma recently signed on Saurav Ganguly as its brand ambassador. "We both share the same values which are aggression, passion, charisma and doing things differently. We launched in India last year. Earlier our products had been available for three and a half years through a licensee Planet Sports.

" We have eight stores. We hope to add at least 20 more this year. We have among other products a Golf range and a cricket range. We are talking with state teams to supply the kit to them. We will launch a new collection in May. Puma leaps into the Indian Market and takes a step closer to achieve its aim of becoming the most desirable sports lifestyle brand in India.

"Puma will also offer new products and colorways to consumers over four seasons in a calendar year. Puma is also the official licensee for Ferrari and B.M.W, Our stores will also host a range of these branded shoes, apparels, accessories and promises to provide customers more than what they could have asked for." Interestingly abroad Puma is making a move from a sports lifestyle brand to a fashion lifestyle brand.

Meanwhile the golf charity tourney is being organised by Tiger Sports Marketing whose speciality is the sport. It organises 90 events in a year a lot of which are corporate dos. It has roped in Standard Chartered Bank for an initiative to find the best corporate golfer in the country. It also organises the amatuer golf tournament in India. Also an international golf women's event is happening in the country. Often banks, insurance firms and upper end brands get associated with it.