At the PUMA Conference, Virat Kohli and Sunil Chhetri team together for the love of sports

For the first time ever, Virat Kohli and Sunil Chhetri came together on one stage at the "Let There Be Sport" Conclave, which was put on by the sportswear company PUMA India. The distinguished group expressed the growing need for sports and fitness to be prioritized at the general population level and integrated into the core curriculum of educational institutions for the growth of the nation.

The Managing Director of PUMA India and Southeast Asia, Abhishek Ganguly, moderated two fireside talks with PUMA athletes Kohli and Chhetri on Friday during the Conclave.

During their conversation, Kohli and Chhetri reminisced and shared moving stories from their respective sporting paths that will serve as inspiration for anyone who want to incorporate sports and health into their daily lives.

According to Abhishek Ganguly, managing director of PUMA India and Southeast Asia, "Sports are an important component of growth, whether it's for people's physical and mental well-being or to teach them important life skills. Only sport has the capacity to break down social, economic, and gender boundaries and bring people together on a common plane. It is therefore time to stop considering it an extracurricular activity and encourage people to start seeing it as a vital life skill that is vitally important for the development of our country.

"With the #LetThereBeSport project, we seek to create an environment at the grassroots level that prioritizes fitness and encourages people to participate in sports and physical activities," continued Ganguly.

With his strong work ethic, self-control, and enthusiasm for fitness, Virat Kohli, an inspiration to millions, made it clear that the country's youth and adults must develop a strong sports culture in order to achieve in life.

Virat Kohli made the following statement during the Conclave: "Sports and fitness have always been an important part of my life, and my profession as a cricket player has positively influenced my emotional stability and personality. I'm excited to participate in the PUMA Let There Be Sport Conclave. We are sure that by sharing our experiences as athletes on this platform, the nation would be motivated to adopt a healthy lifestyle. We have made a long-term commitment to actively foster more chances for meaningful human interaction, emphasize the significance of a healthy sports culture, and look for ways to help India become more physically fit.

When asked about his preference as a child—studying or playing sports—Kohli was questioned at the conclave like thousands of other young people around the nation.

I did quite well in school, with the exception of arithmetic. I just wasn't able to grasp math. I'm afraid. How am I going to teach my daughter anything? She questioned me, and that really frightens me. Math took up more time than I had. But when I concentrated, I did pretty well. So I never got into problems at school and I never skipped lessons, Kohli reflected as he briefly reminisced.

On a single stage, Virat Kohli and Sunil Chhetri, two of India's greatest athletes, underlined the need for a fundamental change in the nation's attitude toward and dedication to adopting a sports and fitness culture.

Sunil Chhetri, a former captain of the Indian national football team, also emphasized the importance of fitness and sports in the growth of a person's temperament, character, and emotional welfare.

The captain of the Indian Team and the player with the most caps for India, Sunil Chhetri, remarked, "India is a big country with infinite potential to become a worldwide athletic superpower. Yet in order for that to happen, we need to encourage participation in sports and fitness from the very beginning by considering it as a necessary daily habit rather than just a pastime. Sports have a significant global impact on millions of individuals and can have a good attitude-altering effect. I implore everyone to incorporate exercise and play into their daily lives.

As part of the #LetThereBeSport campaign, PUMA also broadcast a 90-second digital short at the Conclave. The movie depicts everyday athletes as well as PUMA brand ambassadors Virat Kohli, MC Mary Kom, Sunil Chhetri, Avani Lekhara, and Bhawani Devi to show how important it is to expand the definition of sport beyond that of an extracurricular activity.

Recently, PUMA and reputable research and analytics firm Nielsen Sports conducted an exclusive sports-focused study, which startlingly revealed that only 20% of urban Indian adults meet the WHO-recommended 150 minutes or more of physical activity on a weekly basis, while kids on average only completed 86 minutes of the recommended 420 minutes of fitness.