MAM
Asics teams up with Joshna Chinappa to inspire young athletes
Mumbai: Sports equipment company Asics has announced Indian squash player Joshna Chinappa as its new brand athlete. This partnership would further strengthen the company’s commitment, spread awareness about the diverse offerings and magnify the reach of the brand, it said.
“Our beliefs and efforts have always focused on empowering youth in India and making a positive change. We at Asics also believe that as the leading sports brand in India it is important to encourage girls to take up sport,” said Asics India and South Asia MD Rajat Khurana. “Over the last couple of years, Joshna and many other Indian women have emerged as torchbearers with their outstanding performances. Asics is very keen to support India’s youth and to build a stronger sporting spirit and ambition in them.”
Currently ranked as number 10 worldwide, Chinappa is a two-time Asian Championship gold medalist. In 2014, she was the first Indian to win a gold medal in doubles at the Commonwealth Game. Chinappa has inscribed her name at the British US Open and national championships.
“Asics has an incredible track record for helping athletes across sports and enabling them to reach the peak of their sport. With them, I hope to take my performances to the next level on the field, and also help create change off it,” said Chinappa on the association. “Our aim together is to improve participation of Indian youth in sports and women empowerment and I am confident of creating the change with Asics.”
Asics has been working with young and fresh athletic talents across various genres of sports including Indian athletes Manika Batra, Bajrang Punia, Ravindra Jadeja, Sakshi Malik, along with international athletes like Novak Djokovic
MAM
Time brings TIME100 Next franchise to India with Reliance
List to spotlight 100 emerging leaders, gala set for December 2026 in Mumbai.
MUMBAI: It’s about time India’s next wave got a global spotlight and now, it’s on the list. New York-headquartered Time is expanding its TIME100 Next franchise to India, partnering with Reliance Industries Limited to launch TIME100 Next India, its first international extension of the rising leaders platform. The announcement was made at the Time100 Gala in New York by Jessica Sibley and Nita Mukesh Ambani, signalling a strategic push to tap into India’s growing influence across sectors.
The India edition will recognise 100 emerging leaders from the country and the global Indian diaspora, spanning business, science, sports, arts and social impact. The list will be curated by Time’s editorial team and published online, continuing the franchise’s focus on identifying individuals shaping the future.
The initiative will culminate in a gala event scheduled for December 2026 at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, anchoring the platform within India’s cultural and business ecosystem.
TIME’s broader Time100 franchise has steadily expanded its global footprint since 2021 through events and impact-led initiatives. Executives noted that India’s growing pool of influential voices and innovators made it a natural next step for the platform’s international ambitions.
For Reliance, the partnership aligns with its broader push to support emerging talent and ideas on a global stage. For Time, it marks a timely bet on India not just as a market, but as a talent engine shaping the next chapter of global leadership.
