Sports, fitness and wellness trade expo - FITEXPO INDIA 2023 was held from December 1 to 3 at the Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan in Kolkata in association with SPORTEXPO.
The expo was inaugurated on December 1 by Radhe Shyam Goenka, chairman, Emami, as the guest of honour along with other dignitaries like Sushil Poddar, president, Confederation of West Bengal Trade Association; Harmeet Singh Luthra, founder-director, Fitline; Vishal Gupta, managing director, Viva Fitness; Gagan Sachdev, founder-director, Bodyline and FITEXPO INDIA; Subhrajyoti Paul Chowdhury, founder, Rival Fitness; Parag Bhatia, director, Building Nutrition and Rahul Bose, director, Body Sensation.
Inauguration at Biswa Bangla Mela Prangan Official Press Release
The three-day mega expo, spread over 3 lakh square feet of indoor and outdoor area, engaged over 5000 fitness, sport, and wellness enthusiasts and experts. The fourth edition of the Expo showcased a diverse range of sports and fitness products from top brands. The FITEXPO INDIA 2023 was a business-to-consumer (B2C) as well as a business-to-business (B2B) affair.
“FITEXPO INDIA is more like a `Kumbh mela’ for sports, fitness and wellness and connects with the growing base of sports lovers, fitness enthusiasts and wellness practitioners while providing a 360-degree view of these rapidly expanding sectors where health, wealth and commerce go hand in hand under the same roof with overarching commercial benefits in the long run. The Indian sports, fitness and wellness sector, under Khelo India and Fit India, is now five times bigger,” said Gagan Sachdev, founder-director of THE FITEXPO INDIA and Vice-President, Calcutta Sports Dealers Association (CSDA).
More than 100 events related to fitness, bodybuilding, powerlifting, kettlebell, weight lifting, CrossFit, armwrestling, dance fitness, Zumba, yoga etc. were held. FITEXPO INDIA 2023 had 32 formats of martial arts, mixed martial arts and combat sports. Other than popular games like cricket and football, there is throw ball, dodgeball, rugby, skating and cycling; indoor games like badminton, table tennis, carrom, chess, archery and dart tournaments also and many other activities. A large number of associations and bodies related to sports, fitness, callisthenics, wellness, sporting infrastructure and software, along with students from various schools of Kolkata participated in these live events at the FITEXPO INDIA 2023.
On-stage bodybuilding event during the expo Official Press Release
Rajesh Bhatia, president CSDA and Chief Convenor of SPORTEXPO, said, “This year there is a special platform SPORTEXPO curated solely for the sports industry focusing on promotion of sports goods, sportswear, sports Infrastructure development and technology. There is a great opportunity for the sports market in the eastern region and it is very important that an exhibition of this scale is organised in Kolkata so that sports dealers and enthusiasts get the opportunity to explore the same.”
Elaborating on the mega Expo, Subrata Dutta, chairman IFA, chief patron of SPORTEXPO, said, “Sports has immense potential to generate employment and curb deviant activities and such events play a key role in motivating our youth to stay on the right path.”
The event was held under the aegis of CWBTA and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC) and also under the patronage from the Fit India Movement and Khelo India, with additional support from institutions and government bodies.
“It's not just a show; it's a celebration of wellness. Bringing fitness icons from all kinds of genres under one roof makes it a wholesome experience, and I'm thrilled to be part of this vibrant community, where health and happiness dance hand in hand," said personal trainer and Zumba presenter, Natalie Pote Shaw.
With a Corporate Business Lounge facilitating B2B activities and the FitPitch (the theme-based flagship fundraising and trade exchange) event encouraged growth, collaboration and investment for start-ups and innovators.