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Khelo India School Games
Players of Indian origin living abroad will be encouraged to play for the country, according to the newly-unveiled National Sports Policy, also referred to as the Khelo Bharat Niti, signalling a departure from the government's earlier stance that only Indian passport holders can represent the country. The ban on Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders from representing the country in 2008 has affected India's growth in sports such as football and tennis. However, the 20-page Khelo Bharat Niti document stated that India will seek Peace & International Cooperation Activities through Sports so that "Sports can serve as a powerful tool for international diplomacy and cooperation." "Wherever feasible, promising and prominent Indian-origin athletes living abroad may be encouraged to come back and play for India at the international level," it states. "Together, these efforts can transform sport into a dynamic tool of cultural diplomacy and nation-building, strengthening the global
Calling it a "strategic roadmap" for India's elevation into the top five of world sports, the cabinet on Tuesday approved the Khelo Bharat Niti to create "world-class systems" of coaching and athlete support along with a robust administrative set-up to make the country a strong contender for the 2036 Olympics. Previously called the National Sports Policy and introduced for the first time in 1984, the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 will supersede the 2001 policy. It is a "guiding document" to formulate plans and schemes for betterment of the country's sporting ecosystem. "We have used the experience of the last 10 years and the new policy will work towards improvement of sports. Major objective is to make India a top-five sporting nation by 2047. That's the overall objective," Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw told reporters while unveiling the policy and other cabinet decisions. "The PM has given a different kind of emphasis to sports, especially in rural areas," he ...