OUR TARGET IS TO PLACE INDIA AMONG THE TOP TEN SPORTING NATIONS IN THE WORLD: UNION MINISTER

New Delhi, Sep 14, 2025 : The government has readied plans to make India one the world’s top ten sporting nations, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Friday.

Addressing the PlayCom – Business of Sports Summit 2025, Mandaviya said, “We have laid out a 10-year plan and a 25-year plan in line with the vision given by Prime Minister Modi ji. Our target is to make India a developed nation and to place India among the top 10 sporting nations in the world. These plans are ready and will be implemented soon, with corresponding policy changes to support them.”

“We can already feel the changes taking place in the Indian sports sector. Our goal must be to ensure that the Indian flag is proudly raised on every podium across the world. We must take sports a step further—transforming it into a public movement, a collective mission where every citizen feels connected and contributes to India’s sporting success,” he added.

The sports minister further said that more efforts are needed to help players compete and excel in various sporting leagues in India. “To achieve this, we must build a strong work culture, identify talent early, and nurture it systematically. Our renowned athletes should be central to this effort, and we must create more opportunities for talented players to compete and grow within India”, he stressed.

Mandaviya also spoke about the reforms introduced during his tenure, including the landmark National Sports Governance Bill.

“To build a better sports ecosystem in the country and to make the nation more interested in sports, we need reforms and positive changes. We have already launched movements like Fit India and Khelo India, as well as schemes like TOPS, while also providing facilities to elite athletes with a holistic approach,” Mandaviya said.

“We have prepared a vision document and framed a sports policy. We want the best model, but it must be our own model. There is abundant talent across the country, and this talent must be given opportunities through the creation of a strong sports ecosystem. To ensure good governance, we introduced the Sports Governance Bill, which is athlete-centric. Earlier, federations often focused more on their disputes than on athletes, but now our priority is to make athletes the epicenter of sports. The Bill also ensures greater representation of women in sports, as we are committed to increasing women’s participation”, the sports minister added.