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Chairing the 63rd Governing Body Meeting of the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya called for an accelerated talent identification roadmap to build India's athlete pool for the 2036 Olympics, taking forward the Prime Minister's Red Fort announcement of a nationwide sports talent hunt.
The Governing Body approved the establishment of a National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB), a component of the revamped Khelo India Scheme, to give coach accreditation and development a structured framework; it also approved an amendment to the recruitment rules for the post of Assistant Coach (Pay Level-6) on deputation in SAI.
The Minister set out a two-stage talent identification model, first identifying athletes performing well at state and district levels and then mapping their potential, covering schools, districts and colleges to build a national talent repository, supported by a public-private partnership model and corporate CSR participation to expand academy capacity.
The government's field arm for promoting sport and achieving sporting excellence. Set up in 1984 under a Department of Sports resolution dated 25 January 1984, to carry forward the legacy of the IX Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1982; registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act, 1860
Nodal ministry for sports policy, Khelo India, TOPS and the National Sports Governance Act, 2025
Newly approved body to standardise coaching qualifications, improve professional standards and strengthen the capabilities of coaches and support staff; a component of the revamped Khelo India Scheme
The body that selects and supports athletes under the Target Olympic Podium Scheme and clears their training, equipment and competition proposals
Fund used to channel government and private contributions into elite sport, including TOPS support
India's National Olympic Committee; it submitted the Letter of Intent to the IOC for hosting the 2036 Games and represents India in the Olympic Movement
Mainstream sport and build a sporting culture from the grassroots up
Key: The revamped Khelo India programme was approved by the Union Cabinet on 20 September 2017 as a central sector scheme with an outlay of Rs 1,756 crore for 2017-18 to 2019-20; the first Khelo India School Games were held in New Delhi from 31 January to 8 February 2018. The scheme was later extended for 2021-22 to 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 3,790.50 crore
Build a continuous pathway from grassroots participation to Olympic and Paralympic competition
Key: Total outlay Rs 29,054 crore (Centre Rs 28,489 crore, States and UTs Rs 565 crore) across nine components; the Cabinet's approval combined this with enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations for a combined figure of Rs 36,441 crore. The largest component is Khelo India Training Facilities at Rs 10,586 crore. New elements include the National Coach Accreditation Board, an Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIA) category, Khelo India Feeder Schools and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas
Upgrade one existing centre in each State and Union Territory for high-performance training
Key: 28 KISCEs across 27 States and UTs have been notified
Give India's most probable Olympic and Paralympic medal contenders customised, long-horizon support in training, equipment, coaching and competition exposure
Key: Launched in September 2014 under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports; athlete selection and support proposals are cleared by the Mission Olympic Cell chaired by the DG, SAI, with funding routed through the National Sports Development Fund
Pool government and private contributions for sports promotion
Key: Established in November 1998 under the Charitable Endowments Act, 1890
India's first comprehensive sports governance statute. Passed by the Lok Sabha on 11 August 2025 and the Rajya Sabha on 12 August 2025, it received Presidential assent on 18 August 2025. It provides for recognition of sports bodies, one National Olympic Committee and one National Paralympic Committee, a National Sports Federation for each designated sport, dispute resolution, athlete welfare and alignment with international sports charters.
The statutory regulator constituted to recognise and oversee national sports bodies. Certain provisions of the Act and the guidelines for appointing Board members came into force on 31 December 2025, and the National Sports Governance (National Sports Board) Rules, 2026 were notified in May 2026.
The dedicated forum for resolving sports disputes, including selection and federation-election disputes that previously clogged the courts; its Rules were also notified in May 2026.
Every national sports body must have a general body and an executive committee of up to 15 members, including at least two outstanding sportspersons and at least four women, a composition requirement that is frequently tested.
The law under which SAI itself is registered as a society, which is why SAI is an autonomous body rather than a statutory authority.
A talent hunt only produces medals if the athletes it finds are handed to competent coaches, and India's coaching workforce has historically had no single standard defining what a qualified coach at each level actually knows. A National Coach Accreditation Board fixes that by setting graded qualifications, an assessment route and continuing development requirements, so that a district-level coach and a high-performance coach are certified against defined competencies rather than local discretion. This is the supply side of the 'sporting pyramid' model the Minister described: a broad base of school, district and college participation, a middle layer where performers are mapped for potential, and a narrow apex of high-performance centres. Accreditation is what keeps the middle layer from leaking talent, which is where most systems lose athletes.
Simple Analogy: Finding talented children without accredited coaches is like recruiting bright students and then putting them in classrooms with untested teachers: the intake improves, the output does not.
Khelo India identifies and develops young athletes; TOPS funds the small group judged capable of an Olympic podium. Exams frequently test which scheme does which, and the new E-KIA category sits between them.
The Act regulates federations and creates the National Sports Board and National Sports Tribunal, while SAI remains a government society delivering training and infrastructure. Regulator and delivery agency are distinct, a distinction candidates often blur.
The Minister's push for corporate participation runs through CSR, and training and promotion of sport, including Olympic sports, is an activity listed under Schedule VII of the Companies Act, 2013.
The 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic bid together explain the decade-long framing: a talent hunt of 5 to 15 year-olds in 2026 targets athletes who would peak precisely in the mid-2030s.
GS Paper 2 > Governance > Government Policies and Interventions for Development in Various Sectors
General Awareness > Sports and Government Schemes
General Awareness > Current Affairs > Government Schemes and Sports
General Awareness > Sports
Khelo India and TOPS appear almost every year in SSC and banking general awareness; the National Sports Governance Act, 2025 and the 2036 bid are live UPSC governance material.
National Coach Accreditation Board, approved at SAI's 63rd Governing Body meeting to standardise coach accreditation and development under the revamped Khelo India Scheme.
Target Olympic Podium Scheme, launched in September 2014 to support India's likeliest Olympic and Paralympic medal contenders.
Khelo India State Centre of Excellence, an upgraded high-performance training centre in each State or UT; 28 have been notified across 27 States and UTs.
The IOC Future Host Commission phase in which India's Ahmedabad 2036 bid currently sits, ahead of shortlisting into Strategic Dialogue in 2027.