National Sports Policy, 2025 Approved by the Union Cabinet
INTRODUCTION
Recently, on 1 July, 2025, it was reported that the National Sports Policy, 2025 aka Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 (“NSP”), was approved by the Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi. The NSP supersedes the previously existing National Sports Policy, 2001, and lays out a vision specifically to establish India as a strong contender in international sporting events, including the 2036 Olympic Games, and also establish India as a global sporting house. The NSP has been made after extensive consultations with central ministries, NITI Aayog, state governments, national sports federations, athletes, domain experts, and other public stakeholders.
KEY COMPONENTS
Outlined below are the primary focus areas of the newly approved National Sports Policy (NSP), 2025:
- Global Merit in Sports – Elevate sports performance from grassroots to elite levels by creating competitive leagues, world-class training systems, coaching support, and adopting advancements in sports science, medicine, and technology.
- Sports-Driven Economic Growth – Encourage sports tourism, enhance the sports manufacturing sector, and boost private sector involvement through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives.
- Social Impact through Sports – Foster participation among women, economically disadvantaged groups, and tribal communities. Promote sports as a viable career option by integrating it with education and supporting indigenous and traditional games.
- Sports as a Mass Movement – Encourage widespread public participation and a culture of fitness through national campaigns and local community events. Initiatives include launching a “Fitness Ranking and Indexing System” to incentivize schools and colleges, and introducing a “Personnel Training & Certification” program to equip trainers and educators with essential skills.
- Educational Integration – Incorporate sports into the school curriculum and provide specialized training for educators and physical education teachers, in alignment with the National Education Policy (NEP), 2020.
- Strategic Governance Framework – Develop structures for governance, private investment, technological innovation, and nationwide monitoring. This includes creating a nationallevel framework with defined performance benchmarks, indicators, and time-bound goals to guide sports development.
- Legal Support Structure – Establish a regulatory and legal framework to prepare India’s sports infrastructure and systems for the 2036 Olympic Games.
- Central Regulatory Mechanism – Set up a national regulatory body or mechanisms in line with international anti-doping standards to uphold ethics, fair play, and competitiveness. This will involve the formation of national agencies and inter-ministerial committees to ensure swift decision-making and effective issue resolution.
NATIONAL SPORTS POLICY, 2001
The earlier policy, in effect since 2001, focused on infrastructure development, supporting National Sports Federations, advancing coaching and scientific support, providing incentives, increasing participation among women, tribal and rural youth, engaging the corporate sector, and cultivating a sports-oriented culture.
The new NSP, 2025 expands significantly on this foundation, introducing more comprehensive and progressive elements.
WAY AHEAD
With its recent approval by the Union Cabinet, the NSP, 2025 marks a pivotal moment in reshaping India’s sports landscape. As a forward-thinking and all-encompassing policy, its success will depend heavily on effective implementation. While it sets an ambitious vision for positioning India as a leading sports nation and achieving Olympic success by 2036, it is crucial to address the historic gap between policy proposals and on-ground execution. Ensuring the policy has legislative backing and is effectively enforced at both the grassroots and national levels remains a key challenge moving forward.
