India Sprints Ahead: New Sports Policy 2025 Aims for Olympic Podium and a Nation on the Move

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In a landmark move, the Union Cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi sanctioned the National Sports Policy (NSP) 2025 on July 1, opening the door for India to become a sporting giant of the world with the 2036 Olympic Games in its sights. The policy, a sequel to the 2001 policy, aims to change the country's sports culture by an integrated, multi-faceted approach.

Key Highlights

2036 Olympics Target: The NSP 2025 formulates a plan to position India as a leading contender for excellence at the 2036 Olympics by identifying talent in advance, providing elite-level training, and competitive leagues.

Five Pillars of Transformation

Excellence on the World Stage: Developing more sports infrastructure, world-class coaching, and support for all-around athletes from grass roots through elite competition.
Sport for Economic Growth: Promoting sports tourism, staging international events, and creating the sports manufacturing sector. Entrepreneurship, start-ups, and private sector investment are promoted through public-private partnership and CSR.
Social inclusion: Additional efforts for facilitating more participation of women, tribal populations, weaker economic sections, and the disabled. Revival of traditional and indigenous games is also emphasized.
Sport as a People's Movement: National campaigns, fitness indices of schools and workplaces, and all-around accessibility of sports facilities are made available to make sport a mass movement.
Integration with Education: According to NEP 2020, sports will be integrated in school education from early years, and teachers will be specially trained to build sports culture from childhood.

Governance and Technology: The policy involves regulatory changes, creative financing, and the application of AI and data analytics in performance monitoring and program implementation. National Monitoring: A strong system with well-defined benchmarks and key performance indicators will monitor progress, and it will act as a model to union territories and states.

Economic Aspiration: India's sports sector will reach $130 billion by 2030, fueled by policy-driven growth, digitalization, and growing sports consumption beyond cricket.

By embarking on this ambitious policy, India is not just preparing for Olympic triumph but is also becoming a healthier, more inclusive, and economically stronger sporting nation.

Source: PIB, Economic Times, DD India, NDTV Profit, The Statesman, Careers360