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What happened to the Fitness League of India? This company was once a booming business in the fitness industry.
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Introduction
With the rapid advancement of technology, the fitness industry has evolved at a tremendous pace in the last decade. In the early days, people had to go to the gym to work out and there were only a handful of gyms in each city. But now, with the advent of online fitness platforms and apps, people can work out at their homes or anywhere they want.
This change has been particularly beneficial for women, who were earlier restricted by social norms from going to the gym or working out in public places. Now, they can workout in the privacy of their homes without having to worry about being judged.
But even with all these advantages, there is one big downside of this change – and that is the rise of unscrupulous fitness companies that are trying to cash in on the fitness craze.
One such company is Fitness League of India (Fli), which was founded in 2013 by two IT professionals – Sujal Shah and Jayant Jain.
Fli claimed to be India’s first online fitness company and offered customers a ‘one-stop solution for all their fitness needs’. It had an impressive website and an active social media presence.
The company promised customers that they would get personal trainers, customized workout plans, dietician consultation and access to a community of like-minded people – all for a monthly subscription fee of Rs 999 (US$15).
Fli also had tie-ups with some well-known fitness brands like Reebok and Adidas, which helped it to create an aura of legitimacy around its operations.
However, things started unraveling for Fli soon after it launched its operations. According to customer complaints, the personal trainers were not knowledgeable about basic exercise routines and dietician consultation was not available as promised. The workout plans were also found to be generic and not customized as per individual needs.
History
The Fitness League of India was founded in 2006 by Mr. Vishal Mehta with an aim to promote fitness and wellness in India. The organization conducted various fitness events and programmes across the country. However, it ceased to exist after a few years.
The current state
Fitness League of India (FLI) was once a premier fitness organization in the country that conducted competitions and certified fitness trainers. However, in recent years, FLI has been embroiled in financial and legal troubles, and its reputation has taken a hit.
In 2015, FLI was accused of financial mismanagement by its founder, Dr. Saravanan Kandasamy. An investigation by the Tamil Nadu government found that FLI had diverted funds meant for competition prizes and training certification to its own bank account. As a result, FLI’s license to operate in the state was cancelled.
In 2016, FLI was again in the news when one of its certified trainers, Lakshmanan Balaji, was arrested for sexual assault. Lakshmanan had been working with FLI since 2013, and had been certified by them as a ‘Senior Fitness Trainer’.
These two incidents have tarnished FLI’s image, and it has struggled to recover since then. In 2018, its founder Saravanan Kandasamy was arrested on charges of cheating and forgery. He is currently out on bail.
As of 2019, FLI’s website is non-functional and its social media presence is limited. It is unclear what the future holds for the organization.
The future
Fitness League of India was an organization that promoted fitness and bodybuilding in India. They held competitions and events across the country, and their goal was to increase awareness of the importance of fitness and health.
However, the organization has been inactive for several years, and it is unclear what happened to it. It is possible that it simply ceased operations, or it may have been absorbed by another organization.
Whatever the case may be, the Fitness League of India was an important part of the history of fitness in India, and its impact is still felt today.
The impact
Fitness League of India (FLI) was launched in 2006 by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, with an aim to popularize physical education and sports among youth in the country. The league was started with great fanfare, and initially, it did see a lot of success. However, over the years, its popularity has started to dwindle, and FLI now finds itself in a precarious position.
So, what caused this decline? There are several factors that have contributed to the fall of FLI. Firstly, the league failed to maintain its initial momentum and lost its sheen over the years. Secondly, FLI never really managed to break into the mainstream consciousness, and remained largely confined to smaller towns and cities. Finally, the league also suffered from a lack of quality control, with many of its participants being unqualified or inexperienced.
All these factors have taken their toll on FLI, and the once-promising league is now struggling to stay relevant. It remains to be seen if FLI can stage a comeback, or if it will fade away into obscurity.
The benefits
Fitness League of India is a national level fitness training organization. It was started in 2006 with an aim to develop and popularize physical fitness culture in the country.
The FLI certification is recognized all over India and is one of the most sought after fitness certifications in the country. The FLI curriculum is divided into three levels – Basic, Intermediate and Advanced. Each level has a specific duration and number of training sessions.
The benefits of FLI certification are many. Some of them are :
-It is a national level certification which is recognized all over India.
-The curriculum is divided into three levels – Basic, Intermediate and Advanced.
-The FLI curriculum follows a systematic approach to fitness training.
-The FLI certification is awarded after successful completion of all the levels.
-The FLI certification gives the holder an edge over other fitness trainers who do not have this certification.
The drawbacks
Fitness League of India was a non-profit organization that promoted physical fitness in India. It was founded in 2006 by two Indian-American entrepreneurs, Rakesh Gupta and Vijay Vad.
The organization struggled to find its footing and was beset by financial and organizational problems from the beginning. In 2009, Fitness League of India ceased operations.
The conclusion
The fitness industry in India is a Rs 8000 crore market and is expected to grow at a rate of 20% every year. There are over 50 million active gym members in the country and this number is increasing every year. However, despite the immense potential, the industry is still largely unorganized with only 10-15% of the market being organized.
Fitness League of India was one of the few companies that were trying to organize the industry and make it more professional. It was started in 2008 by two IIT graduates, Amit Pande and Vikas Bhardwaj, with the aim of creating a network of professional gyms and fitness centers across the country.
The company started off well and by 2012, it had a network of 500 gyms and fitness centers. It also had tie-ups with leading insurance companies such as Bajaj Allianz and Tata AIG, which allowed its members to avail cashless facilities at its partner gyms.
However, things took a turn for the worse in 2013 when several high-profile gyms pulled out of its network citing disagreements over revenue sharing arrangements. This led to a decline in membership and by 2016, the company had shut down operations. What went wrong for Fitness League of India?
It is clear that there are many opportunities for growth in the fitness industry in India. However, for companies like Fitness League of India, it is important to have a sustainable business model that can withstand external shocks such as the withdrawal of partner gyms.
The takeaways
There were several takeaways from the report:
-First, that FLI had failed to maintain its competitive advantage,
-Second, that the company had made a number of strategic errors,
-Third, that its execution had been poor, and fourth, that it had not been able to keep up with the changing market.
The next steps
In 2013, the fitness league of India (FLI) was founded with the aim to provide a platform for fitness enthusiasts across the country to come together and compete. The FLI conducted its first event in 2014, which was a success. However, after that, the FLI seems to have disappeared.
So, what happened?
It is believed that the FLI may have run into financial difficulties and was unable to continue operations. This is supported by the fact that the FLI website is now inactive and the organization’s social media accounts have been deleted.
If you were a fan of the FLI or are simply curious about what happened, we hope this article provides some answers.
