Axis Bank and GoSports launch sports science institute in Bengaluru

MUMBAI: Winning medals may happen on the podium, but the groundwork begins long before the starting whistle. Axis Bank is backing India’s sporting ambitions beyond sponsorships, partnering with GoSports Foundation to launch a dedicated sports science institute aimed at strengthening the country’s high-performance ecosystem.

The private sector lender has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with GoSports Foundation to establish the Axis Bank-GoSports Foundation The Performance Institute (AGTPI), a first-of-its-kind initiative focused on advancing sports science, research, analytics and athlete development in India.

The institute will be housed at the Centre for Sports Excellence (CSE) in Bengaluru and will work towards improving athlete performance, talent identification and India’s capabilities in sports science, sports medicine and data-driven performance analysis.

As the founding partner, Axis Bank will support the institute through its CSR initiatives, while GoSports Foundation will oversee administration, programme execution and strategic collaborations.

AGTPI will operate across three key pillars People, Analytics and Research.

The People pillar will focus on building India’s sports science workforce through training programmes, fellowships, mentorships and professional development initiatives, helping create a stronger pool of qualified practitioners across federations, academies and high-performance centres.

The Analytics pillar will establish an athlete testing and assessment facility offering performance testing, biomechanics analysis, recovery monitoring, injury-risk assessment and data-driven performance planning. It also aims to develop India-specific athlete performance databases across sports and demographics.

Meanwhile, the Research pillar will promote applied sports science research through collaborations with universities, industry partners and research institutions, generating indigenous knowledge and evidence-based solutions tailored to Indian athletes.

The initiative comes as India intensifies preparations to become a stronger force in global sport, with growing recognition that elite performance depends not only on coaching and infrastructure but also on scientific support systems. Despite recent sporting successes, much of India’s athlete performance benchmarking continues to rely on international data that may not accurately reflect local physiological and environmental conditions.

By combining institutional funding, scientific expertise and long-term research, Axis Bank and GoSports Foundation aim to build a home-grown sports science ecosystem that supports athletes from grassroots development to international competition, laying the foundation for sustained sporting excellence in the years ahead.