New Delhi, October 15: Union Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya on Thursday called on National Sports Federations (NSFs) to take greater responsibility for India’s sporting performance, following the nation’s 4th place finish at the 2026 Asian Games. Interacting with a plethora of NSF heads, the Hon’ble Minister reiterated the need to work with further synergy to sustain India’s sporting excellence.
Dr. Mandaviya stressed that India needs a continuous pipeline of champions rather than relying on a handful of medal winners. “How long will Mirabai Chanu alone keep winning medals for us? We need to produce 10 more Mirabai Chanus. Every federation must take this responsibility seriously. We have to identify talent, provide the right training and create an environment in which athletes can progress to the highest level,” the Hon’ble Sports Minister said, underlining the need to identify and develop athletes who can sustain India’s medal-winning ambitions across sporting cycles.
Thursday’s NSFs conclave served as a review of India’s Asian Games 2026 performance and a platform to assess preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2030 Asian Games in Doha. It was attended by representatives from all major NSFs, including, shooting, athletics, boxing, archery, squash, wushu, and more.
Dr. Mandaviya also emphasised the need for more sports psychologists, sports science experts and high-performance mental trainers, to mitigate the loss of focus that athletes go through when competing on major international stages. He also urged every NSF to introduce more competitions, strengthen athlete preparation, work with dedicated commitment, as well as carry out honest assessment of gaps in performance and administration.
The conclave saw Shri Vineel Krishna, Joint Secretary (Khelo India), present a discussion on the convergence of Khelo India Scheme with NSFs, while Col. N.S. Johal, CEO (TOPS), gave a performance review of the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and the review of preparations for LA Olympics 2028. The revised Assistance to National Sports Federations (ANSF) guidelines booklet was also inaugurated at the conclave.
Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Smt. Raksha Khadse called for all federations to align their work with the vision of the Khelo India Mission. “Every NSF must ensure that state and district-level federations are also in place and functioning effectively. This work has to be undertaken wholeheartedly, alongside talent identification. Identifying talent is only one part of the process; athletes must also receive the correct training and support to reach their potential,” Smt. Khadse said.
She stressed that NSFs must ensure that state and district-level federations are functioning effectively, alongside their responsibility for identifying talent. “Only through a collective effort can we strengthen athlete preparation, create a better pathway for talent and increase India’s medal tally,” she added.
Secretary (Sports) Shri Hari Ranjan Rao mentioned that India must aim to finish among the top three at the 2030 Asian Games in Doha, while the 2030 Commonwealth Games, which India is scheduled to host, should be treated as a major national challenge. “We have to strive to finish third at the Asian Games in Doha. For the 2030 Commonwealth Games, we must break our own record from the 2010 Commonwealth Games and finish among the top three. Since we are hosting the Games, every NSF must take the competition seriously and prepare accordingly. We must treat this as a challenge and work towards it from now,” he said.
Earlier, Shri Rao had described the sporting ecosystem as a four-tyre vehicle that could move forward only if all its components worked together: athletes, coaches, NSFs, and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports along with the Sports Authority of India (SAI).