Gurgaon, March 9 (IANS): Poster boy of India's winter sports, Shiva Keshavan on Wednesday received a major boost in his preparations for the 2018 Olympics in South Korea as Micromax Informatics Ltd. announced that it will back the luge athlete.

Keshavan has already represented India at the Olympic Games five times. He is a two-time Asian Champion and holder of the Asian Speed Record.

Shubhajit Sen, Chief Marketing Officer, Micromax said in a release: "Micromax has always believed in connecting youth to its passions, and building sporting infrastructure and credentials is one of our key priorities. It is our privilege to support an athlete like Shiva who is a flag bearer of India's Winter Olympics hopes."

"We love Shiva's story -- a small town guy crazy enough to follow an unconventional passion, overcomes major obstacles to win at a global elite level. This is close to Micromax's heart and we feel athletes like Shiva need all the support the leading brands like Micromax can give." he added.

Speaking on the collaboration with Micromax, Keshavan said, “It has been a 20-year journey representing India and being the only one in winter sports doing so. I appreciate Micromax Informatics for recognising my efforts and supporting me in my journey going forward towards the Korea 2018 Olympic Games.”

Shiva Keshavan is now preparing to carry the flag for India at the South Korea Olympic Games in 2018, which will be his 6th Olympic participation, a feat shared by only two other Indians.