Sports federations in India are in line for a historic funding upgrade. The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has announced that national sports federations can now receive up to 50 crore rupees to organise international events in the country, a twenty-five-fold increase on the 2 crore rupees previously available, under the revised Scheme of Assistance to National Sports Federations.
Sports federations: from 2 crore to 50 crore rupees
Under the revised scheme, the jump in assistance is dramatic. National sports federations can now receive up to 50 crore rupees to organise an international event, depending on its nature and importance as well as the number of participating countries and athletes. The support covers essential technical requirements: sports equipment, timing, scoring and results services, remuneration for technical officials and the arrangements needed to stage competitions of genuine international standard.
The revised guidelines mean federations can plan bigger, with amounts calibrated to the scale of the event and India's standing in the sport. Proposals will be assessed by a committee headed by the Secretary for Sports, weighing the nature and importance of each event alongside international participation.
Funding slabs that reward performance
The maximum of 50 crore rupees goes to disciplines where India has won medals or finished among the top 10 at the Olympic Games and World Championships, in events featuring 50 countries and 500 athletes in individual sports, and more than 12 countries and 200 participants in team competitions. The next slab is 20 crore rupees, for disciplines where India has finished inside the top 16 at the Olympics and World Championships, in events with fewer than 50 countries in individual sports and fewer than 12 in team events.
The structure sends a clear message: sports federations that deliver results on the world stage will get the backing to bring the world stage home. It also gives emerging disciplines a defined ladder, with funding rising as performances improve and participation deepens.
Sports federations and the road to the 2036 Olympics
The ministry said the new guidelines align with India's long-term sporting vision, including the country's 2036 Olympic bid and the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad. India has also submitted a formal expression of interest to the Olympic Council of Asia to host the 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad. The revised scheme runs from 2026-27 to 2030-31, the 16th Finance Commission cycle, with a total outlay of 7,386.74 crore rupees.
The federations are central to that ambition. Beyond event hosting, the scheme supports national coaching camps, academy training and direct athlete support, the engagement of foreign coaches, high performance directors and support personnel such as physiotherapists, sports scientists and doctors. International training and competition exposure, senior, junior and sub-junior national championships, grassroots and junior athlete development, and administrative and governance support are all covered.
Advance selection policies: new accountability for sports federations
Money comes with strings attached. Under the revised guidelines, national sports federations must publish athlete and coach selection policies well in advance of major international competitions: at least one year before continental or world championships, and at least two years before multi-sport events involving quota or qualifying systems. The move aims to end last-minute selection controversies and give athletes clarity about the road to major championships.
The guidelines also provide up to 50 crore rupees for conducting the National Games, recognising the scale and technical demands of a major multi-sport event. A key new component is the proposed Olympic Training Centres, dedicated to individual sports and equipped with state-of-the-art training infrastructure, modern sports science facilities and expert personnel. Currently athletes train at National Centres of Excellence, academies, private facilities and overseas centres; the proposed centres aim to reduce Indian athletes' reliance on overseas training.
What the funding jump means for Indian sport
For sports federations, the upgrade changes the maths of ambition. Hosting a world-class event in India was long hampered by the gap between aspiration and the 2 crore rupee ceiling; a 50 crore rupee ceiling puts genuinely major championships within reach, with home advantage as the dividend. For athletes, more international competition on Indian soil means exposure without the cost and disruption of constant travel.
The test, as ever, will be delivery. Sports federations will now be judged not only on medals but on governance: transparent selection policies, credible event proposals and accountable spending. If the funding is matched by professionalism, the revised scheme could mark the moment India stopped bidding for the world's sporting events from the sidelines and started hosting them routinely.