Brands play up Olympic stars’ mettle, not medals, for deals

A record number of brands are showing interest in India’s top athletes for the Paris Olympics, including shooter Manu Bhaker, shuttler Lakshya Sen, archer Deepika Kumari, and hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh. These brands are keen to sign them up, not necessarily waiting for them to win medals. This trend has picked up over the past week, influenced by social media trends and legal scrutiny over non-sponsors using Olympians' images, according to industry executives.