Aman is an entrepreneur, strategic investor, and table tennis player.
The scholarship aims to support Indian students at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ who are either competing at international level or are on track to represent India in their respective sports.
The Virendra Kumar Dhall Scholarship for Sporting Excellence is designed to empower young Indian athletes who face financial and other obstacles in their pursuit of sporting excellence.
Eligible students include those enrolled at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ at undergraduate, postgraduate, or PhD level, whether studying part-time or full-time.
The annual scholarship will provide up to £2,500 to help athlete scholars cover essential costs associated with training and competing in high-level sporting events. This includes expenses related to travel for trials and to fund things such as equipment, coaching, nutritional advice, gym memberships, and other necessary resources for performance sports.
Aman, who completed his MSc in Sport Management at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in 2010-11, established this scholarship to honour his father's dream of seeing him play for India.
Aman faced significant financial challenges early in his sporting career which hindered his ability to pursue professional sports full-time. Drawing inspiration from his own experiences, Aman is dedicated to supporting the next generation of Indian athletes through this scholarship.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Nick Jennings CB FREng FRS, said:
“We seek to welcome exciting talent from across the world to benefit from the outstanding performance sport programmes we have here at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, and this new scholarship for sporting excellence will ensure that young Indian athletes are empowered to do so.
“Our University strategy, Creating Better Futures. Together, emphasises the importance of excelling in sport and using our pre-eminence to create new opportunities to enhance the experience of both our students and athletes across sport globally. Aman Dhall’s generosity and support through this scheme shares precisely this vision.”
Reflecting on this initiative, Aman added:
“This scholarship is a tribute to my father, who always believed in my potential to represent India. By providing this support, I hope to help talented Indian athletes overcome the obstacles that I once faced, so they can achieve their dreams."
“This scholarship acknowledges that athletes often require funding from various sources to train at the highest level, so it imposes no restrictions for those already holding other scholarships.”
Aman played for the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ Table Tennis Team and Leicestershire County during his time in the UK in 2010-11. He played for the state of Uttar Pradesh during his junior days. He recently fulfilled his long-held dream of representing India at the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) World Masters Table Tennis Championship 2024 in Rome in the 40+ age category.
Alongside his passions for sport, Aman is the Founder of CommsCredible, an integrated communications consultancy.
Thank you to Aman for his generosity.
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