Khelo India Scheme Revamp and Funding
The Union Cabinet has approved the revamped Khelo India Scheme with a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore for the period 2026–27 to 2030–31, which includes enhanced Assistance to National Sports Federations. This marks a significant expansion from previous allocations, including ₹1,756 crore for 2017–18 to 2019–20, ₹328.77 crore for 2020–21, and ₹3,790.50 crore for 2021–22 to 2025–26. The Union Budget 2026–27 allocated a record ₹4,479.88 crore to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, up from ₹1,219 crore in 2013–14, with an additional ₹500 crore dedicated to sports goods manufacturing.
Comprehensive Athlete Development Ecosystem
The scheme establishes a nationwide athlete development pathway that includes National Centres of Excellence, Khelo India Centres of Excellence, SAI Training Centres, Khelo India Accredited Academies, Khelo India Centres, and Youth Sports Companies of the Armed Forces. As of July 2026, the program has achieved 349 new sports infrastructure projects with total investment of ₹3,176 crore, established 1,067 Khelo India Centres (KICs), supported 267 academies, and provided support to 2,745 Khelo India Athletes (KIAs) with coaching, equipment, medical care, and monthly out-of-pocket allowances. The new Emerging Khelo India Athletes category will expand the structured athlete pool nearly ten-fold.
Competition Structure and Special Initiatives
The Khelo India movement includes multiple competition formats: Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), Khelo India University Games (KIUG), Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG), Khelo India Para Games (KIPG), Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG), Khelo India Water Sports Festival, and Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG). Since 2018, more than 63,000 athletes have participated in these games. The scheme also introduces Khelo India Feeder Schools and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas to integrate sports with mainstream education and enable early talent identification.
Supporting Programs and Initiatives
The Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) supports athletes through foreign training, international competitions, coaching camps, specialized equipment, and monthly stipends of ₹50,000 for core athletes and ₹25,000 for development athletes. As of April 2026, TOPS supports 51 Core Athletes, 52 Para Core Athletes, and 130 Development Athletes. The Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) initiative uses 174 Talent Assessment Centres across 3 States and Union Territories, with 1,87,921 assessments completed to identify talent among children aged 9-18 years.
India's International Sporting Achievements
India's sporting performance has shown consistent improvement across major international events. At the Olympic Games, medal counts increased from 2 at Rio 2016 to 7 at Tokyo 2020 and 6 at Paris 2024. Paralympic performances grew dramatically from 4 medals at Rio 2016 to 19 at Tokyo 2020 and 29 at Paris 2024. At the Asian Games, India achieved its highest ever medal tally of 107 at Hangzhou 2023, up from 57 at Incheon 2014 and 69 at Jakarta 2018. Commonwealth Games performances remained strong with 64 medals at Glasgow 2014, 66 at Gold Coast 2018, and 61 at Birmingham 2022.
Commonwealth Games 2026 Performance
At the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow (23 July to 2 August), India secured fourth place with 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, 9 bronze) from a 124-member contingent (78 male, 46 female athletes). Notable achievements included Mirabai Chanu winning her third consecutive Commonwealth Games title, Indian boxers winning 10 medals including 7 golds (best performance by any country in the sport at a single Commonwealth Games), Asmita Dey becoming India's first Commonwealth Games gold medallist in judo, and Gulveer Singh becoming the first Indian track and field athlete to win two individual medals at one edition.