'Run To Empower': Adidas Launches 'Hi-Energy Challenge' To Support Rural Sports Talent

At a time when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the masses to stay indoors, it also led to many, particularly the athletes, feeling uncertain and low on energy.

To kickstart the year by motivating people to move with optimism, sportswear brand Adidas has come up with the 'Hi-Energy Challenge' to let people turn their 'intentions into actions'.

Citing a global study, Adidas stated that running had the power to cause positive transformation and aid in improving physical and mental wellbeing in communities.

In India, the sportswear brand has attached a social purpose to its 'Hi-Energy Challenge'.

It has collaborated with the Indian Track Foundation and pledged support to empower its young athletes. Through a unique proposition, for every active minute clocked on the running app, Adidas would provide a product of an equivalent amount to the foundation's athletes and thus play a role in their journey of becoming exceptional sportspersons.

To participate in the challenge, one needed to log into the Adidas Running App. This challenge encouraged participants to clock active minutes (comparable to the energy burned) over a period of two weeks from February 1 to February 13. The active minutes could be recorded by running, virtual running, using the treadmill and walking.

Speaking to The Logical Indian, the head coach of Indian Track Foundation, Karan Singh, said, "I had undergone intensive training in the United States and then was part of the Indian National Camp in 2011. I realised that there was a gigantic difference in the way young athletes were trained in both countries. The West, had a structure to empower the right talent with the right tools and facilities. Here, things moved with uncertainty.

Therefore, I moved back with a mission to spot the potential talent from the remotest areas of the country, especially Jharkhand, and then to educate, train and empower the young athletes to represent India in the 2028 LA Olympics."

"The right tools can enhance the performance of an athlete and with this collaboration, Adidas, with its high-performance products, would become part of our journey. This was not something that our athletes were blessed with...so this one-of-its-kind challenge would benefit the foundation immensely," said the head coach.

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