India’s Fitness Boom Is Turning the Country Into Sportswear’s Next Major Battleground

Global sportswear brands are increasing investment in India as running, gym culture and athleisure move further into the mainstream, reshaping competition across performance footwear, apparel and sports retail.

24 September 2026 — India is emerging as one of the most important growth markets for global sportswear brands as participation in running, fitness and organised sport increases across the country.

The shift is being driven by a combination of rising disposable income, expanding urban fitness culture, growing participation in marathons and sports clubs, and the continued popularity of athleisure as everyday clothing.

Recent moves by brands including Puma and Decathlon show how quickly the market is changing. Puma is increasing its focus on running, hybrid fitness and team sports in India, while Decathlon has identified the country as a strategic market for retail, manufacturing, technology and supply-chain growth. 

The result is a market where global brands are no longer competing only for casual sportswear customers. They are increasingly targeting runners, amateur athletes and consumers looking for more technical performance products.

Running moves from niche activity to mainstream culture

Running has become one of the clearest signals of India’s changing sports culture.

Organised races have expanded across major cities, while participation in international marathons is also increasing.

Puma said 1,673 Indian runners participated across the six World Marathon Majors in 2025, compared with 459 in 2014. More than 500 Indian runners also completed marathons in under three hours during 2025, according to figures cited by the company. 

That growing performance culture is influencing the way sports brands approach India.

In September 2026, Puma announced that it would bring its Project3 running programme to the country for the first time, selecting 50 runners preparing for the 2027 Mumbai Marathon and offering access to performance footwear, coaching, nutrition and recovery support. 

The programme also reflects a shift from simply selling running shoes toward building communities and long-term relationships with athletes.

Decathlon increases its bet on India’s running market

Decathlon is making a similar move.

The French sports retailer launched its KIPRUN performance running brand in India in September, with plans to expand its running business substantially by 2030.

Decathlon said it aims to reach more than five million active runners and build its running business beyond ₹1,000 crore, supported by 35 new products including 17 performance running shoes. 

The company cited data indicating that India’s running gear market grew from approximately $2.5 billion in 2025 to $2.7 billion in 2026, with projections suggesting it could reach $4.9 billion by 2034. 

Bruno Araujo, Country Sports Leader for Running at Decathlon Sports India, described running as moving from a niche activity toward a mainstream, community-led movement.

That transition is changing what consumers expect from sportswear.

Technical footwear, cushioning systems, carbon-plated race shoes, recovery products and wearable technology are increasingly moving beyond elite athletes and into the wider consumer market.

Global sportswear companies are competing on performance

Puma is also repositioning its Indian business around more premium products and key sports categories.

The company is shifting away from heavy discounting and putting greater emphasis on running, hybrid fitness and team sports, while aiming to introduce major global products in India closer to their international launch dates. 

This reflects a wider evolution in India’s sportswear market.

For many years, major sports brands built their presence largely around cricket, fashion sneakers and casual apparel. Those categories remain important, but consumers are increasingly looking for products associated with specific sports and performance requirements.

That creates opportunities for companies specialising in running, training, tennis, football and other disciplines.

Athleisure expands sportswear beyond the gym

The opportunity is not limited to people actively participating in sport.

Athleisure has helped move sportswear into everyday wardrobes, blurring the distinction between performance clothing and casual fashion.

Statista notes that sports-inspired apparel increasingly includes products originally associated with exercise but now worn as everyday clothing, including hoodies, jogging trousers and other athletic styles. It identifies growing fitness and wellness culture as one of the forces supporting demand in India. 

This gives sports brands two overlapping markets.

One includes consumers buying specialised footwear and apparel for running or training. The other consists of shoppers attracted by the comfort, identity and lifestyle associations of sportswear even when they are not exercising.

The combination can significantly increase the addressable market for global brands.

India becomes strategically important beyond retail

India’s importance to sportswear groups also extends into manufacturing and supply chains.

Decathlon has described India as a cornerstone of its future global strategy, with the country playing an expanding role across production, technology, artificial intelligence and logistics. 

The retailer has also seen its business-to-business operation in India increase 20-fold over five years, with B2B activity now accounting for around 10% of its local business and reaching more than 20,000 postal codes. 

This combination of consumer demand and industrial capability makes India particularly attractive.

Sportswear companies can increasingly treat the country not only as a sales market, but as part of their wider manufacturing, sourcing and technology infrastructure.

Community becomes part of sportswear competition

Another major change is the growing importance of sporting communities.

Brands are investing in marathons, running clubs, training programmes and fitness events because participation creates a stronger relationship with customers than conventional advertising alone.

Puma’s partnership with the Ladakh Marathon is one example. In September, the company launched its “Meditation in Motion” campaign around the event, which it describes as the world’s highest AIMS-certified marathon. 

The strategy reflects how sportswear marketing is moving closer to experience and participation.

For consumers, the brand becomes connected not simply with a product but with an activity, community or personal performance goal.

That can be particularly valuable in emerging sports categories where loyalty is still being established.

Competition is likely to intensify

India is already home to established global players including Puma, Adidas, Nike, Decathlon, Skechers and Asics.

Previous regulatory filings showed strong growth across several leading sports brands following the pandemic as consumers placed greater emphasis on health, fitness and technical footwear. 

The current wave of expansion suggests competition is entering another stage.

Brands are likely to compete increasingly on technical innovation, athlete partnerships, local manufacturing, retail reach and the strength of their sporting communities.

Price will remain important in a highly diverse market, but premium performance products are becoming more visible alongside affordable mass-market sportswear.

India’s sporting culture is broadening

The shift also reflects a wider change in Indian sport.

Cricket remains dominant, but running, football, racquet sports, fitness training and endurance events are becoming more visible in urban lifestyles.

For sportswear companies, that broadening creates multiple new entry points into the market.

A consumer who begins running recreationally may move from basic footwear toward specialised training shoes, performance clothing, wearables and race-day products as participation deepens.

That progression is valuable because it turns sports participation into a longer-term consumer relationship.

India’s next phase of sportswear growth may therefore depend not simply on how many people buy athletic clothing, but on how many begin to identify themselves as runners, athletes or active consumers.

For global brands, that is why the country is increasingly becoming one of sportswear’s most important battlegrounds.