MUMBAI: There are no two ways about the fact that sports, especially cricket is a driving passion in our country. Now with Sania Mirza and Narain Karthikeyan making waves internationally in the Grand Slam tennis and Formula 1 circuits, the interest levels have increased manifold. In the midst of this, the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) along with SportzPR has organised a seminar on the 'Business of Sports' called - SportzCom 2005.

The seminar, which will be held in New Delhi on 23 March, will see eminent speakers like Kapil Dev, International Olympic Committee former vice president Ashwini Kumar and Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) president KPS Gill pitching in with their views. Apart from that, top corporate honchos will also come together at CII SportzCom 2005.

Starcom MediaVest Group's sports practice Relay Worldwide is the presenting sponsor and Indiantelevision.com is the media partner for CII SportzCom 2005.

CII deputy director general S Sen says, "CII SportzCom 2005 forum has been conceived to discuss various issues facing the business of sports in India and lay out a path for future development."

The theme of the seminar is "Maximising ROI (return on investment) through Sports" and the discussions would focus on how to make sports sponsorship work with quantifiable returns to attract more money to the field of Sports.

SportzCom will have four sessions covering the following topics:

1. Business of Sports: The Future
2. Sports as a Marketing Tool
3. Sports Broadcasting
4. Sports and Celebrities

Speaking on the same CMCG India Pvt. Ltd. managing director Samir Kale said, "With this forum CII and we at SportzPR are trying to create a platform to discuss various issues, which are critical to build the business further in the country. As far as sports is concerned, India has huge potential and there is a need to discuss various issues and put in place systems that will help unleash that potential."

Some of the eminent speakers who will participate in CII SportzCom 2005 include: Electrolux India MD and CEO Rajeev Karwal, International Olympic Committee former vice president Ashwini Kumar, Bharti Teletech CEO Pawan Kapur, Kapil Dev, K Srikkanth, IHF president KPS Gill, FIA and Permanent Steward of Formula One vice president Nazir Hoosein, ICC Global Sponsorship Manager Jamie Stewart, Prasar Bharti CEO KS Sarma, Starcom India West and South managing director Ravi Kiran and LG India head of marketing Salil Kapoor.