New Sports Policy 2024: Direction for Sports Development with Infrastructure, Asian Games Preparation, and Private Investment

India recently implemented the National Sports Policy 2024, which aims to strengthen sports infrastructure, nurture young talent and improve the country's standing in international competition. Under this policy, 10,000 new sports facilities will be built in the next two years, 5,000 coaches will get certification and a fund of Rs 1.2 crore will support sports science research. Key points of the policy include increasing sports access in rural areas, starting special coaching programs for women players and attracting private as well as sector investment.

Under the new sports policy, India has prepared a detailed preparation plan for the Asian Games 2026. The plan includes providing advanced training to 2,500 coaches by 2025, setting up 150 high‑performance centers and sending 12,000 athletes to international level competitions. The government has allocated a special fund of Rs 3,500 crore for this purpose, so that the players can get modern facilities and scientific support.

To strengthen sports culture at the national level, state governments are implementing mandatory sports curriculum in 20,000 schools in the 2024‑2025 academic year. Each school will be provided with at least two multi‑sports grounds, a gymnasium and a digital training room. This initiative is expected to result in a 35% increase in identification of young talent in rural areas, thereby increasing diversity in national teams in the future.

The government launched a public-private partnership model called 'Sports Fund' in 2024 to encourage private sector participation. Under this model, companies will be given tax exemption of up to 5% if they provide investment amount of more than 10% directly to sports institutions or athletes. So far, 12 leading companies have provided support totaling Rs 800 crore, enabling expansion of training facilities and international exchange programmes.

In the last two Olympics (2020, 2024), India won a total of 28 medals, which include 12 gold, 9 silver and 7 bronze. This result is three times more than the 8 medals in 2016, before the implementation of the National Sports Policy. Experts believe that a combination of continued scientific training, better nutrition and psychological support will make it possible to increase the medal count by 50% by 2028.

Overall, the coordinated efforts of new sports policy, infrastructure development, private investment and scientific support are putting India on the path to long-term success while making India competitive on the international sporting stage.