In November 2024, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) formally submitted a Letter of Intent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to host the 2036 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The bid is currently in the Continuous Dialogue phase, with Ahmedabad proposed as the primary host city. A final decision on the host city is expected to be made around mid-2029.

At the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (which were postponed and held in 2021 due to the pandemic), India recorded its best-ever performance, winning 7 medals (1 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze) to finish 48th. However, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, despite sending a large contingent, India won 6 medals (1 silver and 5 bronze) and finished in 71st place, which showed the need for a stronger athlete development pipeline.

To finish in the Olympic top-10, a nation typically needs around 30 to 40 total medals, including at least 10 to 12 gold medals. For instance, at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Italy finished 9th with 40 medals (12 gold) and Germany finished 10th with 33 medals (12 gold), showing why India needs to drastically increase its medal tally to join this group.

On July 31, 2026, the Union Cabinet approved a revamped version of the Khelo India Scheme for the five-year period 2026-27 to 2030-31 with a budget of ₹29,054 crore. This represents an eight-fold increase compared to the previous allocation. The massive funding boost is aimed at developing grassroots sports infrastructure and preparing athletes for India’s 2036 Olympic bid.

The scheme operates at two main levels: Khelo India Centres (KICs), which focus on grassroots training and sports culture at the district level, and Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE), which upgrade state facilities to provide elite high-performance training and sports science support. There are currently over 1,000 local KICs and around 34 KISCEs across India.

The NCAB is a proposed apex body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports designed to standardize coach education and professionalize coaching in India. Acting as a central regulatory authority, it will set tiered qualification standards (from grassroots to elite levels), manage a National Coach Registry, and license coaches across all sporting disciplines.

Aligning with the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which aims to eliminate hard separations between curricular and extra-curricular areas, the government launched the Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) to identify grassroots talent early and the Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV) to provide balanced, high-performance sports training alongside academic support for student-athletes.

Under the revamped Khelo India scheme (2026–2031), the government introduced the Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIA) category. This is a massive expansion from the existing Khelo India Athletes (KIA) programme, which supports 2,904 athletes, aiming to scale up the talent identification and support system to cover nearly 28,000 young athletes across the country.

To eliminate fragmented athlete data, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is establishing a National Sports Digital Ecosystem (NSDE). This system consolidates various sports portals, including the National Sports Repository System (NSRS) and Khelo India, creating a unique Sports ID for every athlete and official to track their lifelong sports records, scientific performance metrics, and training progress.

NSFs are autonomous sports organizations in India recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Each federation (such as Hockey India or the Athletics Federation of India) is responsible for managing and promoting a specific sport. The government provides them financial assistance under this scheme for organizing national championships, training camps, buying equipment, and hiring coaches.

Launched by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in 2014, TOPS is a flagship program designed to provide customized support (including foreign coaching, international exposure, sports science, and monthly stipends) to elite Indian athletes. It also includes a Development Group to nurture younger athletes who are prospects for future Olympic cycles, such as the 2028 and 2032 Games.

In November 2025, the Commonwealth Sport General Assembly officially awarded the hosting rights for the 2030 Commonwealth Games to Ahmedabad, India. Branded as Amdavad 2030, this centenary edition of the Games will be the second time India hosts the event (after Delhi 2010), serving as a crucial dress rehearsal and infrastructure test before India’s 2036 Olympic bid.

According to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2024 report, India ranked as the world’s top doping offender for the third consecutive year, recording 260 violations with a sample positivity rate of 3.6%. Athletics, weightlifting, and wrestling saw the highest number of positive cases, presenting a significant reputational risk as India bids for the 2036 Olympics.

Launched on National Sports Day (August 29, 2019) by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Fit India Movement is a nationwide campaign aimed at encouraging citizens to integrate physical activities, yoga, and sports into their daily lives. The government seeks to maximize its scope alongside Khelo India to foster a healthy, sports-loving culture at the grassroots level.