For decades, India’s sporting aspirations have languished, curtailed by systemic neglect and a chronic lack of strategic vision. Individual triumphs punctuated the narrative, yes, but a consistent, formidable presence on the global sporting stage remained stubbornly elusive. Enter Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Khelo India initiative, launched in 2018 with a vision to transform India into a sporting superpower. The vision is clear: nurture talent from the ground up, build world-class facilities, and create a culture where sports isn’t a luxury but a way of life. RECONSTRUCTING GRASSROOTS SPORTS The stark reality is that Indian sport, beyond the omnipresent cricket, has long been starved of essential resources. Crumbling infrastructure, inadequate funding, and a palpable lack of governmental prioritisation have been the entrenched norms. Khelo India, in theory, seeks to dismantle this debilitating paradigm. The ambition is audacious: to unearth and cultivate talent from the most remote corners of the nation, not just the privileged enclaves of urban elites. To achieve this, a significant financial commitment is ostensibly being made. Sports expenditure has purportedly tripled since 2014, reaching a substantial Rs 2,500 crore in 2024, a stark contrast to the paltry Rs 800 crore a decade prior. A considerable portion, a designated Rs 1,000 crore, is channelled directly into the Khelo India campaign. Talent needs a stage to shine, and Khelo India is delivering – big time. The programme has approved 323 new sports infrastructure projects worth Rs 3,073.97 crore and established 1,041 Khelo India Centres (KICs) nationwide. Add to that 32 Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs) across 31 states and union territories. By tapping into untapped talent pools, India is building a pipeline of athletes who could dominate global competitions. Think about it – 28 Khelo India athletes were part of the 117-member contingent at the Paris Olympics 2024, and 25 more competed at the Paralympics. Athletes such as Manu Bhaker, a double bronze medallist at Paris, started at the Khelo India School Games. This isn’t coincidence; it’s proof that the system works. Yet, the scale of India’s population means we’re only scratching the surface. TALENT IDENTIFICATION: A NATION-WIDE DRAGNET FOR SPORTING POTENTIAL Infrastructure alone is inert; it requires talent to animate it, to justify the investment. Khelo India’s approach is ostensibly proactive, not passive. The Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) programme is presented as a systematic talent scouting operation, deploying contemporary technology to identify promising athletes from the vast pool of Indian schoolchildren aged 9 to 18. The sheer scale of assessments – reportedly close to a lakh across 10 disciplines in 93 locations – suggests a commendable level of activity. The Khelo India Games themselves – encompassing Youth, University, Winter, and Para editions – are designed to provide competitive platforms for burgeoning athletes. Sixteen editions since inception indicate a degree of sustained activity. The claim that 71 Khelo India athletes participated in the 31st World University Games, securing 14 of India’s 23 medals, is another piece of evidence of success. CULTIVATING A NATIONAL SPORTING ETHOS If Khelo India is to truly revolutionise sports, it must be inclusive – and it’s making strides here. The ASMITA League, launched in 2021, has organised over 880 competitions, impacting more than 100,000 women athletes. Athletes like Mirabai Chanu, an Olympic medallist, have benefited from this push. For para-athletes, the Khelo India Para Games have opened doors, with several now qualifying for global events like the Paralympics. The ASMITA women’s leagues are presented as a specific initiative to address gender disparities in Indian sports. The participation of over 83,000 women across four seasons is progress. THE OLYMPIC IMPERATIVE Talent without support is like a seed without water – it withers. Khelo India understands this. Over 2500 athletes receive an annual scholarship of Rs. 1.2 lakh, alongside training and equipment support. For athletes from humble backgrounds, this is life-changing. Take Aman Sehrawat, India’s youngest Olympic medallist, who has been part of the Khelo India scholarship scheme since 2019. Then there’s the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS), where the government spends Rs 4-5 crore per athlete to prepare for the Olympics and Paralympics. This isn’t pocket change – it’s a serious investment in India’s future. Khelo India’s financial architecture is substantial, particularly when coupled with initiatives like TOPS. Athletes under Khelo India are reportedly provided with comprehensive support, including coaching, equipment, medical care, and financial allowances. This level of expenditure represents a significant strategic shift, a prioritisation of elite sports unprecedented in India’s history. The success stories of athletes such as Aman Sehrawat, Sarabjot Singh, and Manu Bhaker, who have progressed through the Khelo India system, are validation. INDIA’S SPORTING TRAJECTORY: A MOMENT OF CRITICAL ASSESSMENT Khelo India represents a bold, ambitious attempt to reshape India’s sporting landscape. It is a strategic initiative with potentially transformative implications. The stated goals – hosting the 2036 Olympic Games and becoming a top 10 sporting nation – are undeniably ambitious, bordering on audacious. Whether Khelo India can truly deliver on this promise remains an open question, but the potential is there. India’s rise as a sporting nation could redefine its soft power, inspire millions, and tackle pressing issues like youth unemployment and health crises. The foundations are being laid, infrastructure is being developed, and talent is purportedly being identified and nurtured. However, the true measure of success will not be in the scale of investment or the volume of activity, but in the demonstrable, sustainable improvement in India’s consistent performance across a spectrum of sports on the global stage.