Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports issues operational guidelines for revised Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations

The scheme serves as the primary mechanism for supporting Indian athletes in their preparations for major international sporting events, including the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, Paralympic Games and World Championships, as per a press release from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

Under the scheme, assistance will cover national coaching camps, training at academies and athlete support services, including boarding, lodging, sports kits, insurance and sports science facilities. It will also provide for the engagement of foreign coaches, High Performance Directors and support personnel, including physiotherapists, sports scientists and doctors.

Other key components include overseas exposure through international training programmes and competitions, the organisation of Senior, Junior and Sub-Junior National Championships, grassroots and junior athlete development, and administrative and governance support for National Sports Federations.

The revised scheme introduces several new strategic components aligned with India's long-term sporting vision, including preparations for the 2036 Olympic bid and the Commonwealth Games 2030.

A key provision is a substantial increase in financial assistance to host international sporting events in the country. Under the revised scheme, National Sports Federations (NSFs) can receive financial support of up to Rs 50 crore to organise an international event, depending on its nature and significance, as well as the number of participating countries and athletes.

Proposals submitted by National Sports Federations (NSFs) will be assessed by a designated committee headed by the Secretary (Sports).

Training at Olympic Training Centres: The revised scheme also proposes the establishment of Olympic Training Centres (OTCs) to provide specialised, high-standard training to athletes preparing for major international sporting events, including the Olympic Games.

Currently, athletes train at National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs), academies, private sports facilities and overseas training centres. The proposed OTCs will be dedicated to individual sports and equipped with state-of-the-art training infrastructure, modern sports science equipment and expert personnel, with the aim of reducing Indian athletes' reliance on overseas training.

Elite athletes training at these centres will receive support for coaches and technical staff, sports science services, specialised equipment and technical assistance.

Support for National Games: Taking into consideration the importance of the National Games and the need to organise them in a befitting manner and scale, provision has been made in the revised Scheme to provide assistance up to Rs. 50 crore for conduct of National Games towards sports equipment, Timing, Scoring and Result (TSR) services, remuneration to Technical officials and technical conduct.

Assistance to NSFs of indigenous sports for global outreach: For spreading global outreach of indigenous games, a component of support to NSFs of indigenous games has been included in the revised Scheme for assisting in efforts of NSFs for inclusion as demonstration events in global competitions like the Olympics, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games, in establishment of national federations in other countries across the world, providing requisite support to international federations/continental federations of indigenous sports having their offices in India etc.

International sports cooperation initiatives with Global South countries: India has High Performance Centres and training facilities, both at SAI Centres and non- SAI Centres, which can position the country as a leading partner for Global South by facilitating training of athletes and coaches by providing scholarships and subsidised use of facilities. Provision of assistance towards international cooperation has been included in the revised Scheme.

Support for sports competitions organised for multi-lateral bodies such as BRICS, BIMSTEC: Under the revised Scheme, provision of financial assistance for conduct of sports competitions, sport-related conferences, meetings, research works, workshops, organised for multi-lateral bodies such as BRICS, BIMSTEC and any other similar multi-lateral body has been included.

Support to recognized international/ continental bodies having offices in India: For supporting recognised international/continental bodies in India, the revised Scheme includes a component of funding to NSF/NOC for extending the required support on a case-to-case basis, as per the recommendation of the designated Committee headed by Secretary (Sports). (ANI)