Schemes for Promotion of Sports and Women’s Sports

India’s sports promotion framework combines statutory governance, flagship talent-development schemes, and dedicated funding channels. The focus is on identifying athletes early, building training and competition pathways, and improving women’s representation in sports administration and participation.

The National Sports Governance Act, 2025 and Rules

The National Sports Governance Act, 2025, provides a statutory framework to regulate national sports bodies. The accompanying 2026 rules strengthen compliance, transparency, and gender representation in sports governance.

• Statutory framework: The National Sports Governance Act, 2025, received presidential assent in August 2025 and came partially into effect on January 1, 2026.
• National Sports Board (NSB): Only sports organizations recognised by the NSB can receive Central grants.
• RTI coverage: Recognised sports bodies are treated as public authorities under the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• Athlete representation: Under the National Sports Governance (National Sports Bodies) Rules, 2026, the General Bodies of recognised National Sports Bodies must include at least four Sportspersons of Outstanding Merit (SOMs).
• Women’s share among SOMs: At least 50% of the SOMs must be women athletes.
• Executive committee quota: The Rules require each National Sports Body to reserve executive committee posts to ensure representation of at least four women.
• SOM eligibility: A sportsperson must be at least 25 years old and retired from active competitive sports for at least one year to be designated as an SOM.

The Revamped Khelo India Scheme (2026–27 to 2030–31)

The revamped Khelo India Scheme is the flagship sports development programme for expanding training, infrastructure, competition, and talent identification. It has been reorganised into a broader component-based structure to improve spending efficiency and support athlete development.

• Combined outlay: The Union Cabinet approved a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore for the revamped Khelo India Scheme and enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSFs) for 2026–27 to 2030–31.
• Khelo India share: The revamped Khelo India Scheme has a dedicated outlay of ₹29,054 crore.
• Funding split: This includes ₹28,489 crore as the Central share and ₹565 crore as the State/UT share.
• Expanded design: The scheme has been expanded from five components to nine components.
• Key components: These include Sports Infrastructure for Medal Strategy, Strengthening Strategic Sports Assets, Khelo India Training Facilities, Sports Technology, and the Fit India Movement.
• Major allocations: The largest allocations include ₹10,586 crore for training facilities, ₹4,963 crore for strategic sports assets, ₹4,866 crore for medal strategy infrastructure, ₹2,407 crore for talent identification and development, and ₹2,358 crore for competitions and leagues.

ASMITA Programme for Women in Sports

ASMITA is the key national platform for women’s competitive exposure and talent scouting. It helps identify female athletes through grassroots leagues and structured competitions across disciplines.

• Origin: Launched in 2021 as the successor to the Khelo India Women’s League.
• Purpose: It serves as the main national platform for female athlete identification and competition exposure.
• Participation: By early 2026, nearly 3 lakh female participants had taken part in ASMITA events across 33 sports disciplines.
• Reach: The programme covered more than 2,600 leagues in over 550 districts.
• FY 2026–27 approval: The government approved 500 ASMITA City/District Leagues with a sanctioned budget of ₹75,000 per league.
• League distribution: The approved leagues were distributed across Cycling (200), Football (200), and Sepaktakraw (100).
• Athletics league: A nationwide ASMITA athletics league was held at 250 locations on International Women’s Day, 2026, for Under-13, 13–18, and 18+ age groups.

Target Olympic Podium Scheme and National Sports Development Fund

Elite athlete support in India is channelled through targeted funding and institutional support. The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) and the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) remain central to this structure.

• TOPS: Established in September 2014, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme is funded primarily through the National Sports Development Fund.
• Current support: As of August 2026, TOPS supported 369 elite athletes preparing for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
• Operational nodal point: In May 2026, the TOPS division was designated as the single nodal point within the Sports Authority of India (SAI) for operational requirements across 27 international sports disciplines.
• NSDF origin: The National Sports Development Fund was established in 1998 under the Charitable Endowments Act, 1890.
• Funding source: It mobilises CSR and PSU contributions for sports development and elite athlete support.
• Funding trend: Government data in August 2026 showed a decline in NSDF contributions over three years: ₹85.26 crore in 2023–24, ₹70.16 crore in 2024–25, and ₹37.02 crore in 2025–26.

Key Prelims Takeaways

• Nodal ministry: The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports administers India’s sports development schemes and governance framework.
• Governance law: The National Sports Governance Act, 2025, created a statutory mechanism to regulate national sports bodies.
• Grant condition: Only National Sports Board-recognised bodies are eligible for Central grants.
• Transparency: Recognised sports bodies are public authorities under the RTI Act, 2005.
• Women’s representation: The 2026 Rules require at least four women in executive positions and 50% women among SOMs.
• Flagship scheme: Khelo India has been revamped for 2026–27 to 2030–31 with a dedicated outlay of ₹29,054 crore.
• Women’s platform: ASMITA is the national programme for female athlete scouting and competition exposure.