New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called for India to expand its presence across more Olympic disciplines, identify sporting talent from an early age and build specialised sports ecosystems across districts as the country looks towards the 2036 Olympics.
Addressing the Khelo India Dialogue through video conferencing, Modi said India currently competes in only about half of the sports contested at the Olympics, limiting its chances of improving its medal tally. He urged sports administrators, athletes and young people to explore disciplines in which India has the natural geography and demographic potential to compete internationally.
The Prime Minister also extended advance greetings for National Sports Day on August 29 and paid tribute to hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand. He recalled that Dhyan Chand was part of the Indian Army hockey team that toured New Zealand about 100 years ago, laying the foundation for a century of sporting ties between the two countries.
India needs to compete in more Olympic sports
Modi said one of India’s biggest sporting challenges was its absence from a large number of Olympic disciplines.
“In the 2012 Olympics, India participated in only 13 sports. In more than 20 sports, India had no participation,” he said, adding that the country must develop expertise in disciplines where it currently has little or no presence.
He cited surfing and sports climbing as examples, saying India’s long coastline and vast mountainous regions offered natural opportunities for water sports, winter sports and other disciplines.
The Prime Minister said districts should identify sports suited to their local conditions and work towards developing supporting ecosystems around them.
Talent hunt to focus on children aged 5 to 15
Looking ahead to the 2036 Olympics, Modi said India must begin preparing now the athletes who could qualify and compete at those Games.
He referred to the talent hunt campaign announced during his Independence Day address from the Red Fort to identify promising children between the ages of five and 15.
The exercise, he said, should go beyond finding out which sport a child likes. It should also assess which sport best suits the child’s abilities so that training can be planned accordingly.
Modi assured participants that the government would provide the necessary support for developing sporting talent.
Sports ecosystem expanding across India
The Prime Minister said the government was working to build a modern sports ecosystem covering talent identification, training and support for athletes seeking to compete internationally.
He said sports universities and modern training centres were being developed, while India was also increasing cooperation with other countries in sports science, training, coaching and the exchange of experience.
Modi described Khelo India Samvad as a platform where young people could contribute ideas on sports development, talent identification, governance and the broader goal of a developed India.
He said suggestions emerging from the dialogue would be heard and considered as part of the policy process.
Sports build resilience and confidence
Modi said sport was about much more than winning medals. Participation in sport, he said, helped develop personality, discipline and the ability to deal with setbacks.
Repeating his message, “Jo khelega, woh khilega” — whoever plays will blossom — he said success in sport also brings recognition to an athlete’s family, educational institution, district and state.
He added that when athletes from a region repeatedly succeed internationally, they can change how the world sees that place.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the wider lessons sport teaches, particularly the ability to recover after failure. Sports, he said, teach people “to rise, to fall, to rise again after falling”.
Para-athletes an inspiration, Modi says
Modi described India’s para-athletes as examples of how sport can transform lives and inspire families.
He referred to Paralympic medallists Sheetal, Avani Lekhara, Sumit Antil and Nitesh Kumar, as well as Jhandu Kumar, saying their achievements had inspired people across the country.
He said watching para-athletes compete could change a person’s perspective on life, while their success could also give renewed confidence to families that had supported them through difficult years.
Sports linked to fitness and fight against addiction
The Prime Minister said regular participation in sport could improve quality of life and help people remain physically active throughout their lives.
He cited Fauja Singh as an example of lifelong commitment to fitness and sport. Modi said Singh, who died last year at more than 100 years of age, demonstrated the close connection between physical activity and quality of life.
He also said sport could help young people develop the willpower to stay away from drugs and other forms of addiction.
Sports becoming part of everyday life
Modi said the way Indians viewed sport had changed, with increasing numbers of people now taking part in triathlons, 5K and 10K runs, Hyrox challenges, pickleball, badminton and other fitness activities.
These changes, he said, showed that sport was increasingly becoming part of people’s daily lives rather than being viewed only as a competitive profession.
“A sports culture in the country is built only when ordinary people are connected with it,” he said.
Modi urged schools to treat sports periods as an essential part of life rather than merely a co-curricular activity. Greater participation, he said, would widen the talent pool and make families more willing to support children who want to pursue sport professionally.
“More important than screens are sports centres. More important than PlayStation is the playground,” he said.
New careers emerging around sports
The Prime Minister also pointed to growing professional opportunities beyond competitive sport.
He said changes in equipment, technology, training and competition had opened up careers in areas including sports technology, sports medicine, nutrition, psychology, analytics, equipment design, coaching and event organisation.
Modi urged young people to explore these opportunities and use the Khelo India Dialogue to share their ideas openly.
He said the participation of young people, whether in sport or wider society, would remain an important part of India’s development journey.