Paris Olympics to poster girl: Manu Bhaker bombarded with endorsement opportunities worth crores

For a sportsperson, life can often look like a rollercoaster ride, filled with thrilling highs and challenging lows. This analogy fits perfectly for Indian shooter Manu Bhaker, whose journey in the world of sports has been anything but smooth.

Manu Bhaker, India's current sensation in shooting, has a story that reflects the ups and downs of a rollercoaster ride.

Her two Olympic bronze medals at the Paris Games are set to transform her life, attracting a mammoth of advertisers eager to have the 22-year-old endorse their brands. As many as 40 brands have shown interest, ready to invest significantly, TimesOfIndia.com has reported.


However, the path to Paris wasn't straightforward. Manu's Olympic debut in Tokyo three years ago was marred by a malfunctioning pistol, shifting the focus away from her athletic prowess.

Also Read: Manu Bhaker becomes India's first woman shooter to win Olympic medal; Here is all about her

Advice and criticism poured in from all sides, but Manu remained resilient. After a family vacation to recover from the Tokyo setback, she was determined to bounce back, driven by a desire for redemption and success.

Cut to today, Manu, is the only Indian to win two Olympic medals in a single edition of the Games post-independence.

She became the face of this edition of the Games for India and rightly so.

Advertisers were knocking at the door of the agency which manages her, IOS Sports & Entertainment. Several took the liberty to put their logo alongside Manu's image to ride the euphoric wave and get visibility via social media posts.

Also Read: Manu Bhaker's Paris Olympic Bronze: Govt spent Rs 2 crore on her training, says sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya

"There are about 150-200 brands who have done that," said a peeved Neerav Tomar, CEO and MD of IOS Sports & Entertainment, who was on his way to Paris when he talked to TOI.com. "It's just completely unprofessional from corporate India. Quite a few of them are big brands."

As per the TOI.com report, the agency has already sent out about 50 legal notices and their team is working to caution many other brands.

Companies form a beeline for Manu

About 40 companies have raised queries to have Manu Bhaker on board, said IOS Sports & Entertainment has said. Notably, prior to the Paris Games, the 22-year-old was endorsing just one brand.

TOI's report also said that both long term and short-team deals are in the works for contracts worth crores for a year-long duration, which is 6-7 times of Rs 20 lakh the company was charging for brand endorsements by Manu before the Paris Olympics.

"We have got about 40-odd enquiries in just the last 2-3 days. We are focusing right now on the long-term association deals, and we have closed a couple of endorsements," TOI.com quoted Tomar as saying.

"Her brand value, of course, has jumped five to six folds. So anything we were doing before was in the vicinity of Rs 20-25 lakhs, now it has gone to the region of about Rs 1.5 crore for one deal of endorsements. This is one-year kind of engagement for a brand category with exclusivity."

"There are also a lot of digital-engagement queries of shorter term -- 1 month, 3 months. But we are focusing on the long-term deals," he added.

(With inputs from TOI.com)