Decathlon Sports India concluded its nationwide initiative, ‘Sports Utsav 2026’, bringing together more than 200,000 participants across 125 stores in 60 cities through a large-scale community sports engagement campaign.
Held between May 23 and 24, the initiative transformed Decathlon stores into multi-sport participation hubs, positioning the brand beyond retail and reinforcing its focus on accessibility, grassroots engagement and wellbeing-led community experiences. More than 650 sporting events and activities were conducted over the two-day programme, making it one of the country’s largest community-led sports participation initiatives.
The campaign centred on encouraging everyday movement and making sports more accessible across age groups, skill levels and cities. Activities included running, cycling, football, cricket, basketball, skating, yoga, fitness workshops, swimming, climbing workshops, racket sports and outdoor experiences such as camping, backpacking and horse riding.
Decathlon used the initiative to strengthen its positioning as an experience-led and community-first sports brand. By opening up its retail spaces for active participation, the company aimed to bridge the gap between commerce and physical activity while encouraging consumers to engage with sports in a more inclusive and informal environment.
The campaign saw significant traction across metro cities including Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Pune and Kerala, while also recording participation from emerging regional markets such as Shivamogga, Rajkot and Trichy. The company stated that the initiative was designed to create a scalable model for grassroots sports engagement by combining open-access activities, workshops and community tournaments.
Participation was led by running events, which attracted around 50,000 participants. Team sports including cricket, basketball and football engaged approximately 15,000 people, while fitness-led sessions such as yoga, Aqua Zumba, aerobics and HIIT workshops drew over 10,000 attendees. More than 6,000 participants also attended outdoor workshops focused on activities such as camping and backpacking.
Competitive formats including pickleball, paddle sports, football and basketball tournaments were also integrated into the campaign to increase participation and encourage community interaction. Registered participants received rewards and incentives as part of the overall engagement strategy.
Sankar Chatterjee, ceo, Decathlon Sports India, said, “India is witnessing a powerful cultural shift where more people are actively embracing sports as part of everyday life. Sports Utsav was created to celebrate and accelerate this movement by making sports more accessible, inclusive, and community driven, ultimately bringing people together to make lifelong wellbeing achievable for everyone. What makes this initiative truly special is seeing families, children, first-time players, fitness enthusiasts, and local communities come together to experience the joy of sport. At Decathlon, we strongly believe sport should not feel intimidating or exclusive - it should be simple, welcoming, and accessible to every Indian. Sports Utsav reflects that belief at scale.”
As part of the campaign extension, Decathlon also released its official ‘Sports Utsav Campaign Wrap-Up Film’, showcasing highlights from the initiative. The film captures community participation, sporting moments and family engagement from across the two-day activation, while spotlighting stories of ‘everyday athletes’ and first-time participants.
Through Sports Utsav 2026, Decathlon continued to expand its community-led marketing approach, using sport as a platform to drive engagement, wellbeing and long-term brand connection across India’s evolving fitness and lifestyle landscape.
