Need for a unified effort to make India a formidable sporting nation

Mandaviya participated in the two-day 'Chintan Shivir' initiative focused on India’s preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and strengthening the country's bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics

HYDERABAD: Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, stressed that while sports is a State subject, a unified effort is essential to position India as a formidable sporting nation.

Dr Mandaviya chaired a two-day ‘Chintan Shivir’ focused on India’s preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics and strengthening the country’s bid to host the 2036 Summer Olympics at Kanha Shanti Vanam here on Friday.

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Dr Mandaviya emphasised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has envisioned India hosting the 2036 Olympics and urged States to actively contribute to making this ambition a reality.

“Chintan Shivir is an initiative guided by the Prime Minister’s vision of good governance. This forum allows us to collaborate and take forward our dream of hosting the Olympics,” he said at the meeting attended by Sports Ministers from various States/Union Territories, senior sports administrators, key Government officials, and domain experts to exchange ideas and craft a roadmap for India’s emergence as a global sports powerhouse.

The meeting focused on critical areas such as talent identification, coaching methodologies, sports infrastructure, and sustainable development of sports.

“Making India a Viksit Bharat by 2047 requires a well-structured and collaborative approach towards sports.” Dr. Mandaviya said.

The impact of the Khelo India initiative in identifying and nurturing young athletes was also discussed with Dr. Mandaviya noting that over 2,800 Khelo India academies have been established, and 937 out of 1,045 Khelo India Centres are currently operational. He also emphasised the importance of creating a national athlete repository with unique IDs to track talent and ensure their growth within the system.

“We cannot afford to let talent slip through the cracks. A scientific approach in talent identification and management, along with active participation from National Sports Federations is crucial for the Olympic mission,” the Union Minister said.

Dr. Mandaviya also underlined the need to strengthen grassroots sports by identifying young athletes between the ages of 9-14 and nurturing them for long-term Olympic preparation.

The Union Minister announced that new initiatives under Khelo India, such as beach games, water sports, and indigenous games, will be introduced to encourage regional participation and enhance India’s sports culture.

The delegates underscored the need for enhanced transparency in National Sports Federations to ensure fair selection processes and build confidence among parents to encourage their children to take up sports as a career. The deliberations focused on improving coordination among all stakeholders to foster an athlete-centric governance model.

An emphasis was also laid on optimising the utilisation of sports infrastructure of States, PSUs, Ministries, and the private sector and it was also mooted to establish District-Level Sports Schools (DLSSs) by upgrading existing schools to increase grassroots-level talent scouting and training.

During the day, participants engaged in a meditation session led by Padma Bhushan Daaji, fostering mindfulness and focus.