AHMEDABAD: Vita Dani, an entrepreneur who co-founded Ultimate Table Tennis (UTT) — a franchise-based table tennis tournament played annually, is delighted with how the sixth season has transpired. With the Asian Games and Olympics set to happen in the next few years, she felt the players are making notable progress. In a free-wheeling chat with The New Indian Express, Dani, who also co-owns the Indian Super League outfit Chennaiyin FC, spoke about the league's growth and its ambitions and she also touched upon the role of sports entrepreneurship in the country. Excerpts:
On how the sixth season of UTT has fared
Each year, UTT is doing better than the previous year. Continuation of our sponsors is one more reflection of it. And I think Mr (Niraj) Bajaj (fellow co-founder) and I have a common dream that we want to do this for Indian table tennis now to make sure we take it to its former glory in the 1970s. This was when people gathered outside arenas to watch table tennis. We will do whatever it takes to bring that similar feeling back. I'm very happy with the way the league is going. The semifinals (played on Friday and Saturday), I thought I had to keep some ambulances and doctors on standby! There was so much excitement.
On league's fan-following
Of course, our numbers on social media have gone up, and also our attendance in the stadium has gone up. And all this, I think, is because of the introduction of the Golden point, which is creating so much excitement, and also the introduction of mixed doubles, which is now going to be introduced at the Olympics, and also the (Table Tennis) World Championship. These are the things which are making the game more exciting, and people want to watch it. We still have a lot of distance to cover. We will also get players from lots of different countries and different continents, so that many more followers will also get added each year. We just have to keep trying hard and see how we can grow and make this better.
On ideas for UTT 7 and the following seasons
This year, we have introduced the junior league, and I think it has created a lot of excitement. It also becomes aspirational for those young players to be part of the senior league and that's what we want. We want to create this pipeline of players, and we want to create a situation where it's not only inspirational, but also aspirational for people to start playing table tennis. So this is one change, of course, the Golden point has been magical, and we are still trying to see how we can make this format more exciting. There are some ideas, but till we are 100% sure, I don't think it would be fair for me to share it publicly as to what they are.
On the likely challenges for the league
I must say, when Niraj Bajaj and I got in to promote UTT — of course, we all have to be financially viable, but we know that in our country, unless and until we get media rights, broadcast rights and a lot more sponsorship, it's a distant dream. And for me, return on investment (ROI), is how we do well as a country, how our players do well at the global level, and that's more important for me. It is important that my franchisees make money before we do and that's why our model is low cost. It's more cost effective, and it encourages the franchisees to stay on so we have interest from more people to come into the game. And that in itself, is a good start for me. And as I said, my ROI is dependent on my player performance more than the finances.
On the impact of sports entrepreneurship in the country
I think there is no better time than now to promote sports. The government has come forth, supported sport at the national level, and we have realised what is the importance of sports in life. COVID came at a time where we realized how physical well-being is also equally important. If we are saying that we cannot produce champions in a country of a billion, then we need to work on our system. We are doing whatever we need to create that system for champions. And UTT is one of the attempts in that direction. We want to give players the highest exposure, a platform. And we get international coaches and international players. When our players, who may or may not have as much opportunity to go and play overseas, get this chance to play with them, against them, right here in their backyard, I think that's a great exposure for them. I think it's one of the blocks whereby players, when they defeat a higher-ranked player, be it international or domestic, they have this renewed energy. And I think that's important, and that's important for any player, for any game. So that has helped the entire ecosystem. When you do a league like this, then you are bringing in lots of pieces for the entire sporting landscape, be it the physical fitness trainer, mental fitness trainer, the kind of infrastructure, coaches and a sparring partner. Now, this only helps the game, it only helps the player. So we are happy with the way this is going, and we do hope that we can produce even more and bigger champions in table tennis.
On Indian TT players' chances at the 2026 Asiad & 2028 Olympics
As a country, I think our players are doing really well at the Olympics. We were so close. And I don't see it as a dejection, but I see it as an encouragement that if we are there, we know that next time we can do it. As far as LA is concerned, I think we still have a lot of time, and for that, we have started with younger players. I'm sure some of them will make India proud, make us all proud.