Not long ago, Viren Rasquinha was dreaming goals for Indian hockey. His goal now is to haul home some golds from London. Not for himself but for some of the 32 sporting talents his unique organisation is nurturing. A trail-blazing international hockey career of six years, a captain's shot at the 2004 Athens Olympics and then retirement at 27 while at the top may not amaze sports-watchers. But how many Virens follow it up with an MBA from the International School of Business? And land a job heading a gold medal-chasing body?

For the last three years, ‘Captain Cool' Rasquinha, 31, the handsome CEO of the not-for-profit Olympic Gold Quest, has been leading a club of bravehearts who are, in a way, building Brand Olympics. In a land that fetes no other feat but cricket. Pushing Indian Olympic prospects such as Saina Nehwal, Gagan Narang, Mary Kom and Vikas Gowda to those elusive golden heights. Tapping donations from simple sports lovers and moneyed companies.

OGQ's test is almost three months away: the 2012 London Olympics of July-August. Rasquinha, the unflappable boy from Bandra, talks straight to BrandLine on what it is to ‘sell' the Olympic dream to a nation of cricket-glazed eyes.

You have made this rare role switch, from being a hockey star to the chief executive of a body that champions Olympians.

After I retired from the Indian hockey team I wanted to do something equally challenging and I got the opportunity to go to ISB Hyderabad where I did my MBA. Geet Sethi (billiards champion) and Prakash (Padukone, badminton ace) are the founders of Olympic Gold Quest. They approached me (in 2009) and wanted me to head OGQ. I really liked the team there. Geet and Prakash are heroes, role models and sporting legends. Then there are corporate gurus such as Niraj Bajaj and Shitin Desai (EVP of DSP Merrill Lynch).

The mission of OGQ was very inspirational. For me as a player, it was a dream to win an Olympic gold medal. When I played the Olympics in 2004, India couldn't win a (hockey) medal. Here was an opportunity to make a difference to the new generation of Indian sportspersons. And I could be helping them win a gold medal.

How much financial support have you garnered for your stars and from whom?

At the end of three years there are about 15 corporates who are funding Olympic Gold Quest every year.

OGQ is supported by organisations, high net worth individuals and ordinary people. Some of the main organisations are the Bajaj Foundation, the Rakesh Jhunjhunwala Foundation, Edelgive India Foundation, the Asit Koticha Foundation, Gaja Capital P Ltd, J. M. Financial, Temasek and Godrej.

Almost all (contributors) have made annual commitments. We got what was needed. In the last financial year we spent close to Rs 3 crore on athletes - which is also what came in.

In a cricket-mad country with a product like the IPL, why do you think these people plump for your Olympians?

The emotional equity attached to winning a gold medal in Olympic is priceless, it cannot be compared (to anything else.) The sponsors don't expect monetary returns from it. The sentiment attached to being part of a challenge that wins India's next Olympics gold medal, it's amazing. There is no commercial return for them in terms of money, yet most of the organisations (are proud of) being attached to a cause such as the OGQ. We at OGQ believe that we can help Indian athletes win an Olympic medal.

Was it easy to find sponsors?

It's absolutely not easy. Fund-raising is the toughest thing ever. A great deal of credit should go to the credibility of our board of directors. Geeth Sethi and Prakash Padukone are its founders. Leander Paes, chess champion V. Anand and others who came in later are icons and legends. (OGQ's Director) Niraj Bajaj, who was our No 1 table tennis player and an Arjuna awardee, is now a very senior person in the corporate world. We also have Shitin Desai, R. Ramaraj (co-founder of Sify and Partner, Sequoia Capital); Rakesh Khanna (founding partner, Ambit RSM); Neeraj Bharadwaj (Managing Director, Accel Partner) and Deepika Padukone (film star and daughter of the badminton legend and OGQ co-founder).

By the 2016 Games, our goal is to find support for 100 athletes - which means we would be requiring much more funding. The credibility of the board members is of immense value in opening doors to funding. It is up to the funders to look at this credibility, the way the organisation performs and see the results. If all that is there, people are very willing to support a good cause.

How did you go about this task?

Fund-raising is a constant challenge, it's about identifying those organisations that love sports, that want to be involved in good credible causes and also in showcasing your work in such a manner that it shows the impact. If you show credibility, accountability and impact, then people are willing to follow you. We worked hard on building the base of OGQ, on putting proper structures in place to support athletes and showing (donors) how the money was spent. That has helped in getting funds. OGQ is a growing organisation and we need to go on identifying new funders and that's a challenge.

Do they say whom you should support?

They trust us, we have the experience of handling athletes. The credibility and the expertise of OGQ are very strong. Most of the funders put their donations into a pool. We decide how the money is going to be spent on athletes. At the end of the year we have very comprehensive performance reports that go to every funder and which tell them how their money is being spent and how impact has been created.

How do ordinary sports lovers stack up in this venture?

Oh, there are hundreds of funders who are supporting our sportspersons through our ‘Power your champion' programme. You can contribute online through the e-payment gateway on our Web site, olympicgoldquest.in. As little as Rs 100 will be deducted from your salary if you simply leave a standing instruction. This way we have generated Rs 15 lakh over the last year-and-a-half. These are small donations from many people.

With nearly three months to go, what is currently engaging you and OGQ?

Now this is my full-time job. My key role is focused on two issues: daily fund raising, engaging with the funders, following up with them and secondly, looking after the athletes.

I have an excellent team under me that looks after the marketing part, operations, online marketing, Web site and the like. We are always brainstorming as to how we can help the athletes better, what we can do to improve their performance, such as finding the best coaches and training facilities. They need medical support and better equipment. We have put together a team of world-class doctors, nutritionists and mental trainers. It's about identifying the gaps and helping to bridge them. The important thing is to move with speed when they need something.

The next three months are a very crucial phase for us but we are really looking forward to it. The athletes are preparing to the best of their abilities, we are doing everything possible to help them. We are very excited with the run-up to the Olympics.

What after London 2012? Do the sponsors stay or do you seek new ones?

Well, OGQ is definitely not going to shut down in 2012! We have already made plans and programmes till 2016 (Olympics.) We are planning for the long-term, we are grooming young athletes for as far as 2020. We keep going to the future.

We do hope that the current funders will keep on supporting us. Obviously as we go on we also grow exponentially, support more athletes, maybe support new sports as well. Of course, we will have to identify new funders, find creative ways to raise new funds. And identifying new sources is very, very critical.

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