Overview

Manipal University Jaipur (MUJ) hosted the sixth edition of the International Conference on Physical Education and Sports Sciences (ICPESS 2026) on 4 November 2026 in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The conference was themed “Role of Higher Education Institutions in Shaping India's Olympic Vision 2036” and aimed to discuss how universities can contribute to India’s ambition to host the 2036 Olympic Games and build a globally competitive sporting ecosystem.

Participation and Sessions

The conference attracted 200 online paper presenters who delivered papers across 16 sessions, and 28 offline presenters who participated in five on‑site sessions, demonstrating a significant increase in academic outreach and relevance.

Key Addresses and Speakers

  • Prof. (Dr.) Brajesh Kumar, Dean, Faculty of Management, Commerce and Arts, MUJ, opened the inaugural ceremony with a welcome address, highlighted India’s potential to host the 2036 Olympics, and praised student achievements in national and international competitions.
  • Cdr. (Dr.) Anil Rana, Pro‑President, MUJ, felicitated the chief guest and guest of honour, and emphasized MUJ’s initiatives in promoting sports and developing sporting infrastructure, noting that sports build character and resilience.
  • Chief Guest – Dr. Mamta Rani Agarwal, Additional Secretary, Association of Indian Universities (AIU), stressed the need for an inclusive, interdisciplinary sporting ecosystem involving athletes, coaches, dieticians, sports scientists and administrators. She advocated integrating sports analytics with computer science and involving pharmacy students in athlete nutrition research, and called for cultural and institutional mindset shifts.
  • Guest of Honour – Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee Vasudevan Baskaran, former captain of the Indian men’s hockey team that won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, urged a paradigm shift from performance‑only coaching to a scientifically informed, professionally managed sporting ecosystem. He called on higher‑education institutions to take greater responsibility for talent identification, athlete nurturing, and sports research, and highlighted MUJ’s potential to provide training facilities for the Indian contingent ahead of upcoming international competitions.
  • Dr. Rina Poonia, Associate Professor and Conference Convener, reflected on the evolution of ICPESS, noting its growth to the sixth edition and the extensive academic participation.
  • The inaugural session concluded with a vote of thanks by Dr. Vijmendra Kumar Grover, who expressed gratitude to university leadership, distinguished guests, invited speakers, delegates, scholars and attendees.

Conclusions

ICPESS 2026 reaffirmed the critical role of higher‑education institutions in developing sporting talent, advancing sports science, and creating a robust ecosystem to realize India’s Olympic aspirations for 2036. The conference called for concrete, actionable outcomes from academic deliberations, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration and sustained institutional effort.

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