Bengaluru, 28^th September 2026: The Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) has appointed Sean Kelly as Performance Coach, Swimming. Kelly brings over three decades of experience in swimming and high-performance coaching and will work with the athletes and coaches at IIS as the swimming programme enters its next phase of growth.

Most recently, Kelly served as High Performance Coach and Foreign Technical Consultant to the Indian National Team during the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, following a 45-day preparatory camp in Ahmedabad. Prior to this, he served as National Performance Director and Head Coach of the Spanish Swimming Federation (RFEN) from 2020 to 2024. During his tenure, the Spanish programme won one World Championship gold and two silver medals, including Spain’s first men’s World Championship gold in 33 years, and qualified four relays for the Olympic Games.A former Performance Director at Stockport Metro and Head Coach at the National Training Centre in Great Britain, Kelly has worked across different levels of the sport. He has attended five Olympic Games and delivered three Olympic medals as a coach. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, he was Team GB Head Coach for the Open Water team.

Kelly also served as Foreign Technical Consultant for Team India at the 2026 Asian Games in Japan. Ahead of the Games, he conducted a 45-day preparatory camp with India’s leading swimmers in Ahmedabad.

As part of this new high-performance direction, IIS and Kelly will also be part of a talent recruitment drive to identify new and emerging talent, as well as current swimmers, who aspire to be part of the programme.

Gary Hall, said, “Sean brings the experience and drive we need to take swimming, not just at IIS but across India, to the next level. He has demonstrated his ability to deliver results during his stint with Spanish swimming and has produced several champion swimmers.”

At IIS, Kelly will work closely with the swimming athletes, coaches and support staff. His role will include athlete development, coach development and strengthening the day-to-day high-performance environment. He will also bring his experience of building programmes that support athletes over the long term.

Sean Kelly, Performance Coach, Swimming, Inspire Institute of Sport, said, “I am here with one goal in mind: to raise the standard of swimming in India. When I was in Spain, I said Spanish swimmers could achieve great things, but not everyone believed me. Four years later, we had exceptional talent in the sport. I see no reason why Indian swimmers cannot reach the world level.”

Over the years, IIS has built a strong support system around its athletes. This includes sports science, strength and conditioning, nutrition, physiotherapy, recovery and performance analysis. The institute continues to bring together coaching and performance support to help athletes prepare for international competition.

Kelly’s appointment adds international high-performance experience to the IIS swimming programme. He will work with the team as IIS continues to develop swimmers and coaches for the highest levels of competition.

New Delhi, July 6, 2026: The Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and the Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS), India’s leading privately funded Olympic high-performance training centre promoted by the JSW Group, have extended their high-performance partnership for another three years, with the renewed agreement running until March 31, 2029.

Building on a successful collaboration that concluded in 2023, the renewed Contribution Agreement will see IIS continue to support WFI’s national wrestling programme across the senior, junior and cadet levels. The collaboration will integrate IIS’ high-performance expertise into national coaching camps and athlete development initiatives, with a focus on sports science, strength & conditioning, recovery, performance analytics and international-standard training support.

Sanjay Kumar Singh, President, Wrestling Federation of India, said: “We are pleased to continue our association with Inspire Institute of Sport and JSW in our collective mission to strengthen Indian wrestling. Their expertise in athlete development and high-performance systems has added significant value to our national programme, and we believe this renewed partnership will further enhance the preparation and performance of our wrestlers across all levels.”

Under the agreement, IIS will continue to work alongside WFI in supporting national camps and athlete development programmes, while providing world-class performance support systems to help Indian wrestlers prepare for international competition.

Speaking on the partnership, Manisha Malhotra, President, Inspire Institute of Sport, said: “We are delighted to renew our partnership with the Wrestling Federation of India. At IIS, we remain committed to creating a world-class high-performance environment that enables Indian athletes to realise their full potential. We look forward to continuing our support for Indian wrestling and contributing to its long-term growth.”

The agreement also provides for continued collaboration on high-performance planning, athlete support initiatives and branding opportunities, further strengthening the long-term relationship between IIS and WFI.

The renewed collaboration underscores IIS and JSW’s continued commitment to strengthening India’s Olympic sporting ecosystem by building sustainable high-performance systems and enabling Indian wrestlers to compete successfully on the world stage.

The Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) has launched a nationwide taekwondo talent identification initiative called ‘IIS Taekwondo’s Fighting Chance’. The programme will scout and select eight female Taekwondo athletes between the ages of 16 and 26 for a long-term high-performance training system aimed at preparing athletes for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

“At IIS, we have always thought outside the box. While we are working on developing mainstream Olympic sports in the country, such opportunities should always be explored. We have already ventured into water sports, and taekwondo is up next. I am very excited and confident that this is the start of something significant for Indian sport,” said Manisha Malhotra, President, IIS.

Eligible athletes must hold a blue belt or above, have competed at the Indian Junior or Senior National Championships, be fit to compete in a full-contact trial fight, and have no history of doping suspension or disciplinary violations. Applications will also be considered from female fighters with a high level of Combat (fight) experience from other Martial Arts.

The initial selection will be conducted through two open regional trials organised by IIS on the following dates and locations:

• 17–18 January: Guwahati
• 24–25 January: Trivandrum

Athletes who make the initial cut will undergo a two-week immersive training and assessment camp at IIS, Vijayanagar, followed by a two-month advanced training camp in Europe and a four-week high-performance camp in South Korea. The top eight athletes will then be offered a full-time IIS contract and receive all athlete benefits under the IIS high-performance system.

The programme will be led by the IIS HPD Gary Hall MBE, who played a significant role in developing the high-performance taekwondo structure in Great Britain, contributing to multiple Olympic and continental medals.

“India has never secured a World Championship or Olympic medal in taekwondo. IIS Taekwondo’s Fighting Chance aims to identify and develop athletes who can change that outcome. In my decades of experience as a sports administrator, I have seen such programmes yield success. This is a systematic, well-mapped plan that can change the face of taekwondo in the country. My team and I have done this before, there’s no reason we can’t do it in India with its vast talent,” said Gary Hall, IIS High-Performance Director.

Top sports experts including Bianca Walkden (two-time Olympic medallist), Aaron Cook (European Champion), Jade Jones (Two-time Olympic Champion), President Moon Won Jae (President, Korea National Sports University), and Toni Tomas (veteran coach from Croatia,) are part of this first-of-its-kind initiative.

Registration link:

https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=6_JQEoRHI0KY3NbjNEVWXLGhixEdP4hNsBTG9SHQtxJUNThRVDlUUlc5N0hOTzdPVTI1Rk9DVjNIWi4u

Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) Kanpur announced three key partnerships with Indian Institute of Technology, (IIT) Kanpur and Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Dassault Aircraft Services India Pvt Ltd. (DASI) aligned with the objective of MSDE, which is to empower and prepare the local youth for the aerospace and defense sector particularly to support the defense industrial corridor in Uttar Pradesh.

DGT conducted the 2nd Kaushal Deekshant Samaroh (Skill Convocation Ceremony) for more than 14000 ITIs at the National, State and ITI level on 12th October 2023 for more than 8.5 lakh trainees.

More than 1.20 Lakh candidates were trained of which 83,000+ candidates got certified under the relevant healthcare sector job roles  as COVID Warriors to support and ease the burden of the doctors and nurses working in the healthcare sector. PIB