UBS Athletics Kids Cup Expands Nationwide Footprint, Aims to Reach 1 million Children

The UBS Athletics Kids Cup has entered its third season with a long-term goal of reaching one million children across India, as the programme scales its grassroots sports initiative.

Following strong growth in its initial two years, the initiative is expanding to additional cities while strengthening its school-led delivery model and investing in its nationwide ‘train-the-trainers’ programme to ensure long-term integration of sport within the education system.

Organised in India by Dspowerparts and supported by UBS, the programme will be conducted across Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad and Chennai, with more cities expected to be added during the season.

Since its launch, the initiative has engaged hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren through athletics competitions centred on running, jumping and throwing disciplines.

The organisers said the one-million participation target is a key milestone, although not restricted to the current season, with parallel focus on building a robust ecosystem for sustained impact.

Central to this effort is the ‘Train-the-Trainer’ programme, which equips physical education teachers with the skills and tools necessary to independently run athletics programmes within schools.

The format is inspired by Switzerland’s UBS Kids Cup, which has produced global athletes including indoor heptathlon world record holder Simon Ehammer, and focuses on improving health, fitness and personal development among children aged 7 to 15.

Competitions follow a structured, multi-level pathway, beginning at the school level and progressing to regional and city finals.

The programme is positioned as part of a wider push to address gaps in grassroots sports infrastructure in India, particularly in athletics.