Poor sports culture in schools, need for mandatory coach level certification exam, GST exemption on equipment: Federations flag issues

Anandeshwar Pandey, Secretary, Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association, raised the issue of poor sports culture at school level and suggested making physical education mandatory at the school level.
“Sports infrastructure in schools is vanishing. The basics are zero… so until we make physical education compulsory in primary, middle and rural schools, developing sports culture in the nation will not be easy,” said Pandey.

Mandaivya said that initiatives such as Khelo India School and University Games would help identify talent. “With 15 lakh primary schools in the country and initiatives like Khelo India School and Khelo India University Games jointly to be organised will help in talent identification. Also, we have adopted the Gujarat model where there is a district level sports school – it can be private or government – with good sport infrastructure, the talent identified will be nurtured with best sports science, coaches and exposure and prepared for participation in international competitions. There is no dearth of brain power and manpower, but dearth of a system. If this system is set then there is no stopping (us),” Mandaviya said.

Secretary (Sports), Government of India, Hari Ranjan Rao, pointed out that at the recent National Chief Secretary Conference held in December in Delhi on the theme ‘Human capital for Viksit Bharat’, one day was dedicated to the education system right from anganwadi to skill development to sporting. “The Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) attended the sessions. This issue has been flagged at the highest level. Without bringing schools and schooling education systems on board, sporting culture at grassroots level will not develop. Both the Sports and School Education Minister sat together to formulate the strategy being developed on how to develop sports culture in the curriculum,” Hari Ranjan Rao said.

Aaesha Munawar, Joint Secretary, Judo Federation of India, stressed the need for a compulsory coach level certification exam.

“There is no dearth of players in the country. But we need to have a compulsory coach level certification exam, because from what I have seen, I have been a player myself. I am now an administrator and a coach. I became a coach when I stopped playing myself. We need to have level one, level two, level three, level four, and so on, a coach examination programme where the coach knows how the game is played today, not technically. We all agree it is a mind game more than anything else, we need to educate the coaches first so that they can, in turn, coach the players.

According to me, there are three kinds of players who come into an academy. One player says, I have to take part in the Olympics. The other player says, I want to take part in the Olympics.” There is a big difference between what I have and what I want, and if things don’t work out, I will probably finish my education and get into a job. So maybe not the Olympics, then maybe a job from sports quota. And the third player comes because his parents want him to leave the screen and do some kind of physical work. So the main job of the coach is to recognise with what intention the player is coming into the academy, because we can’t measure all the players with the same yardstick. So the education for the coaches is of utmost importance. And yes, and not only the elite level coaches, we need to educate the grass root level coaches, because it is from there that the child may want to play the Olympics or have to play the Olympics.”

The Gopichand Committee report, the secretary said, addresses all these issues, and we are bound to implement those recommendations.

Prashant Kushwaha, President for Indian Kayaking and Canoeing Association, and also the President of Asian Canoe Confederation suggested developing a system like engineering and medical entrance examination for developing quality sportspersons who are trained well from the very beginning, exemption of GST on sports equipment.

“The medals we received in the county, among those 99 per cent of contribution of the sportsperson and their parents. And later the government and the sponsor support system comes. For Olympics like engineering and medical there should be some quota for admissions where we get good students. Sports equipment or at least Olympic sports, the GST and import duty is so high that if we get Rs 100 we pay, Rs 50 goes to the government again. Internationally plan sports administration and diplomacy,” Kushwaha who is the first Indian to be elected as the President of Asian Canoe Confederation suggested.

Ajay Kumar, president, Bihar Olympics Association raised a point on the player retention policy and model bylaws. “If their future is not safe, why will they learn sports? Why is the Ministry not framing a model by -laws for each-from club level to the National Sports Federation.”

Sudhanshu Mittal President of Kho-Kho International Federation President Kho-Kho Federation of India suggested mapping of existing sporting infrastructure at the grassroots level, using the Human Resource pool available at the public sector like army, paramilitary for training students at these sports grounds at taluka levels which will become a breeding ground for sporting culture.

The Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya assured these issued being worked out.

Athletes first approach to be adopted, their voices to be heard

Following the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) in Ahmedabad on Friday,IOA President P T Usha said that over the last period, we have taken decisive steps to modernise the IOA and place athlete welfare at the heart of every initiative.

“This is the first time IOA will be hosting the Athletes’ Commission meeting to be held on Saturday. “It is for the first time that it is happening that it is hosted by the Indian Olympic Association. There will be 2 or 3 representatives from each of the federations who will be coming in, and we have taken the complete athletes first approach. This will be the first forum, it is going to be run by the athletes and it is for the athletes. So all the athlete choices would be heard. Broken into three sessions- athlete career transition, how to navigate this whole thing of safe sports, or mental wellness or anti-doping and the third session is on how to handle media and social media,” PT Usha said.

In the AGM on Friday, initiatives were worked upon which over the next 3 to 6 months that the Indian Olympic Association is taking as a lead up to the Commonwealth Games to be held in 2030. Governance reforms introduced to enhance transparency, compliance, and ethical standards in line with international best practices were also discussed during the AGM.

The meeting brought together representatives of National Sports Federations, athletes’ representatives, and IOA office-bearers to review the work undertaken over the past period and chart the way forward for the Olympic movement in India.

“India’s goal of top-10 Olympic finish Is non-negotiable”, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports at Sports Governance Conference in Ahmedabad.

Reiterating India’s long-term sporting vision, Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya on Friday declared that achieving a top-10 finish in the Olympic medal tally is a “non-negotiable national goal”, underlining the critical role of National Sports Federations and State Olympic Associations in realising this ambition.

Friday’s event was organised at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Ahmedabad.
“Performance must show consistent improvement in every major international competition, beginning with the Asian Games 2026. The Commonwealth Games 2030 should emerge as a landmark success for India, both as hosts and as a sporting powerhouse,” he said.

Addressing the gathering, the Minister outlined the Government’s clear and uncompromising priorities for India’s sports ecosystem, with a strong emphasis on governance reforms, competitive exposure, systematic talent identification and nurturing from grassroots to elite levels, strengthening the coaching ecosystem, and expanding private sector participation in sports infrastructure, academies, and leagues.

Citing key initiatives such as the National Sports Governance Act (NSGA), Khelo Bharat Niti, reforms in ANSF norms, and improvements in coach recruitment systems the Minister asserted that persistent issues within sports federations, including internal politics, corruption, unfair selection trials, injustice to athletes, governance disputes, and financial irregularities, must now come to an end.

“For us, the athlete and the nation’s reputation are paramount,” he said, adding that while the Government respects the autonomy of federations, the same commitment to integrity, transparency, and athlete-centric governance must be demonstrated by all sporting bodies.

Mandaviya also announced that the Government would soon introduce key policy initiatives, including transparent and standardised selection trials, the “One Corporate, One Sport” model, and enhanced athlete welfare packages.

Highlighting the significant public investment already being made in sports science, nutrition, injury management, and high-performance support, he called upon federations to match the Government’s pace and ambition.