An Indian billionaire has so far pledged $10-million to the Mittal Champions Trust, a nonprofit group he created to burnish his home country’s unimpressive Olympic record, reports The Wall Street Journal.

“Looking at the size of Indian democracy, I think Indian athletes need much more support,” says Lakshmi Mittal, the steel magnate, who lives in London. The Indian government says that only about 50 million of about 770 million people under the age of 35 have access to any organized sport or games, and poor families are more interested in education than buying equipment, the newspaper says. At the Athens Olympics in 2004, India won one medal: a silver award for shooting.

Mr. Mittal’s sports program — which supports shooters, boxers, a swimmer, and badminton and squash players — was founded in November 2005 and provides athletes with the best available coaching and facilities, paying them about $125 to $250 a month. A total of 32 athletes are being trained, and many others have applied for a place and have been rejected.