Boria Majumdar

From having to borrow money to go to Paris Paralympics in 2024 to winning two gold medals in Nagoya, Mona is quite a story.

Three multi-sport events in three months. One in Glasgow and two in Japan. Escalating costs, with the rupee touching 97 to the dollar at one point, logistical challenges and much more. Things were not easy for anyone in the media. And yet, the resolve remained steadfast.

Many have asked me why we organise the Empowerment Cup. Why should a start-up spend lakhs of rupees on a women's football tournament? Why invest money in it, and what will the eventual outcome be?

In 20 days from now Test Twenty will start its first season in Sri Lanka at the SSC ground in Colombo. Young men and women from all around the world will make their way to the island nation by 11 November and it will be a major opportunity of socialisation for each one of these players.

The most watched thing in sport is the least recorded. A nine-year effort, built in India, to measure it could shape how the country finds its athletes for Ahmedabad 2030, and, potentially, how the world builds physical AI.

There was decent coverage of Indian athletes and their performances at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and, subsequently, the Asian Games in Nagoya. New heroes emerged, and fans got to know and follow fresh faces across disciplines. India needs to do the same next week when the Youth Olympics begin in Dakar. While traditional Indian strongholds such as shooting are absent from the programme, the 17-member Indian contingent travelling to Africa includes some hugely talented athletes, among them Syndrela Das, Tanvi Patri and Dhinidhi Desinghu.

Five overs, 100 runs. It happens in gully cricket or in a game played on my terrace. To see it happen in Wellington, New Zealand, against an attack featuring Jacob Duffy and Kyle Jamieson was something that had to be seen to be believed. While you would not want to be a bowler in these games, I am left wondering what went through the minds of the two Indians, Abhishek Sharma and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, as they walked out to chase 200.

I have been part of a WhatsApp group on Indian hockey for the last month or so. The truth is, I do not know who added me to the group. It was created shortly before the Asian Games, and each day, a couple of hundred messages are posted. What is interesting, however, is the language of discourse. If you read the exchanges between some of these men, who claim to be administrators and aspire to positions of power in Hockey India, you are left wondering how such people can be entrusted with governing a sport in the country.

For some time now, we have been hearing that sport is an attractive investment opportunity. But which aspect of sport offers the greatest potential? Is sports technology the way forward? With artificial intelligence becoming an increasingly significant part of our lives, and its influence expected to grow, should it be a key consideration when evaluating investment opportunities in sport?

India are the reigning T20 World Cup champions and have just completed a 3-0 series sweep against New Zealand in New Zealand. For the record, New Zealand were runners-up at the T20 World Cup held in India in March this year. They are one of the stronger sides in the format, making India's emphatic series victory a significant achievement.