Leading brands like Adidas, Reebok, Nike, Kookaburra, Spalding and Rawlings are all outsourcing their worldwide requirements to the Indian sports goods industry.

It is because of the confidence of the global brands that the Indian sports goods industry managed to show a steady growth of 5.54 per cent weathering the worldwide economic slowdown in 2002-03.

Giving away the awards to sports goods exporters in New Delhi on Monday evening, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Rajiv Pratap Rudy said the government is supplementing the industry efforts through incentive schemes like market access initiative, special economic zones and Duty Entitlement PassBook plan.

Firms in developed countries like the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Australia are among the largest buyers of the Indian sports goods.

UNI