New Delhi/Gurgaon, December 8th, 2010: G4S, the largest private security solutions group in the country, has been at the forefront on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives aimed at enriching the society in which it operates. As part of its global initiative to promote budding athletes, G4S brings to India, two stars of its G4S 4teen programme.

Launched in 2007, G4S 4teen is an innovative sports programme designed to support 14 young aspiring athletes from across the world. Ethiopian long distance track runner, Olympic Gold medallist and global sporting icon Haile Gebrselassie is the mentor for the 4teen.

Snigdha Manda, one of the stars belongs to India itself. Hailing from Hyderabad, this talented young Indian took up shooting at the age of 14 and has regularly represented India at the junior level since then.

Representing Bangladesh, Sharmin Akhtar is one of the leading air rifle shooters in her age group. She started competitively at the age of 12, having represented Bangladesh since 2003. 
 
The teens were in Delhi for a three-day visit during which they visited a number of historical monuments in and around Delhi. One of the key highlights of their trip was their visit to G4S Shiksha, a school for underprivileged children run by G4S. At the school, the children presented a small programme for Snigdha and Sharmin. The teens spent time with the children, encouraging them to take up sports and also donated sporting equipment and study table sets to the school. Snigdha and Sharmin also visited the Karni Singh shooting range as well as the CWG sports village.

Talking about G4S’s commitment to this initiative, Mr. David I. Hudson, MBE, Regional President, NAMESA, G4S said, “The future lies in the hands of the youth. It is imperative to provide support and encouragement to them for all their pursuits. Through this programme, G4S aims to provide the much needed support to the promising sports stars of tomorrow. We have high hopes from Snigdha, Sharmin and Mangal (another Indian in the 4teen Programme), and wish them all the luck for the Gold at Olympics 2012”.