Few in the Indian sporting landscape are as comfortable with wearing many hats as Viren Rasquinha is. An Olympian and a captain of the India men’s hockey team, a distinguished alumnus of the prestigious Indian School of Business, CEO of a top sports NGO, columnist and broadcaster and a member of key Government panels, he has been at ease in each role.
A member of the Indian team that won the Junior World Championships in Hobart in 2001, he was soon drafted to the senior squad and was part of the squad that played the 2002 Busan Asian Games final and the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. His leadership skills were recognised and he was made captain of the team later that year.
Just ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he retired from the sport to pursue an MBA degree from ISB, Hyderabad. Subsequently, he he has played a stellar role as CEO of Olympic Gold Quest, enabling athletes across several disciplines by plugging gaps in their training and competition schedule and supporting programmes of the National Sports Federations.
#Trailblazers2Conclave Know Your Panelist
Former captain of @TheHockeyIndia and current CEO & MD, @OGQ_India, @virenrasquinha's contribution in Indian sports is immense! #VirenRasquinha to be a part of Trailblazers 2.0.@TataSteelLtd #Hockey #Olympics #OlympicSports pic.twitter.com/TTKZDTDx3v
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) February 8, 2024
Along with Abhinav Bindra and Pullela Gopichand, Rasquinha was a member of the Prime Minister’s eight-member Olympic Task Force which articulated the athlete-centric, coach-led and system-driven ecosystem for Indian sport in the wake of the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
Subsequently, he has been roped in as a member of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports’ Mission Olympic Cell, a group that drives the prestigious Target Olympic Podium in support of the country’s elite and development athletes. He is in a vantage position and has a 360o perspective on Indian sport which he uses to good effect.
As a thought-leader and as one who is in regular touch with elite athletes as well as rising stars and as one who conceived a coaches education programme after seeing that the knowledge base of coaches needed upgrading, Viren Rasquinha will be among the most engaging voices that we will get to hear at TrailBlazers Conclave 2.0 next month.
Also Read: PR Sreejesh – Leader and Legend
Harmanpreet Singh – India’s Drag-Flick Maestro and Inspirational Captain