Seven years in the past, we ignited a motion with the launch of the Khelo India College Video games (KISG). At present, as I have a look at how far we’ve come, I’m full of delight — not only for the medals gained, however for the best way Khelo India has reworked the very material of sports activities in our nation.
Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports activities Mansukh Mandaviya. (X/@mansukhmandviya)
Conceptualised below the visionary management of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Khelo India was by no means nearly successful medals — it was about igniting a nationwide motion for sports activities, fostering a tradition the place each baby has the chance to play and develop holistically. At present, this motion has developed right into a multi-faceted nationwide programme spanning 16 editions of Khelo India Video games, creating an ecosystem that nurtures younger expertise, builds world-class infrastructure, and promotes inclusivity in sports activities — laying the muse for India’s bold aim of turning into a dominant world sporting nation.
The inaugural KISG in 2018 set the tone for India’s grassroots sports activities revolution. Recognising the immense potential inside school-level competitions, KISG created a structured pathway for younger athletes to transition from inter-school competitions to nationwide and worldwide sporting occasions. Through the years, this initiative has recognized and nurtured 1000’s of athletes, a few of whom have gone on to symbolize India on the Olympics and Asian Video games. The most important instance of the system is Khel Ratna awardee Manu Bhaker, who transitioned from College Video games to College Video games to turning into a double bronze medallist on the Paris Olympics.
With the growth of KISG into the broader Khelo India Video games framework, grassroots expertise identification has grow to be extra sturdy. Since its inception, Khelo India has performed 16 editions – six Youth Video games, 4 College Video games, 5 Winter Video games and one Para Video games. Every version has launched new dimensions to India’s sporting panorama. This growth has ensured a seamless transition for athletes throughout totally different ranges of competitors, reinforcing India’s sporting pipeline.
Khelo India has developed past simply an athlete identification programme. It now encompasses a number of stakeholders, together with corporates, state governments, non-public academies, and grassroots organisations. The position of the non-public sector has grown considerably with companies investing in sports activities growth by sponsorships, infrastructure initiatives, and athlete mentorship programmes. The “One Corporate, One Sport” initiative is being launched to additional improve company engagement in sports activities by guaranteeing focused assist by partnerships with the Authorities, Nationwide Sports activities Federations (NSFs), and company entities.
State governments have additionally taken the initiative, proposing Khelo India Centres (KICs) primarily based on regional sporting priorities, guaranteeing that sports activities growth is aligned with native wants. As well as, plans are in place to determine Olympic Coaching Centres throughout totally different zones of the nation. These world-class, high-performance centres will present elite athlete coaching, together with for para-sports and indigenous sports activities, and will probably be geared up with state-of-the-art sports activities infrastructure, sports activities science, and sports activities medication amenities.
Inclusivity has been a cornerstone of Khelo India and initiatives such because the ‘Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action’ (ASMITA) League have performed a vital position in empowering girls in sports activities. Since its launch in 2021, ASMITA has organised over 880 competitions, impacting greater than 100,000 girls athletes.
Hon’ble Prime Minister Modi has at all times emphasised the significance of supporting athletes from rural India and smaller cities. By means of Khelo India, we’ve ensured that monetary constraints don’t maintain again expertise. Ladies’s soccer leagues below Khelo India have reached even distant areas like Monigong in Arunachal Pradesh, fostering sports activities participation in areas beforehand untouched by organised sporting actions.
For para-athletes, Khelo India Para Video games have offered an inclusive platform, with a number of athletes now qualifying for world occasions just like the Paralympics. The initiative has actively promoted indigenous sports activities corresponding to Yogasana, Mallakhamb, Kalaripayattu, Thang-ta and Gatka, guaranteeing their preservation and development by integrating them into the Khelo India Youth & College Video games.
To additional professionalise the teaching construction, we’ve ensured the combination of Previous Champion Athletes (PCAs) as mentors on the 1000+ Khelo India Centres (KICs). Additional, by free certification programs on the Nationwide Institute of Sports activities (NIS), Patiala, these former worldwide/nationwide athletes contribute to India’s teaching ecosystem, guaranteeing the following era advantages from their expertise and experience.
As India strikes ahead, the Khelo India motion is greater than only a sports activities growth programme; it’s a strategic initiative that aligns with the nation’s long-term aim of internet hosting the Olympic Video games in 2036 and ending among the many prime 10 sporting nations. As we glance in direction of 2036, the influence of Khelo India will probably be measured not simply by medals gained however by the tens of millions of lives it has touched, the grassroots revolution it has fostered, and the tradition of sports activities and health it has embedded in Indian society.
(The writer is Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports activities and Labour & Employment, Govt. of India)