The Union Cabinet has approved a significantly expanded Khelo India Scheme with a combined outlay of ₹36,441 crore for the period 2026-27 to 2030-31, marking a major step in India's sporting development journey. This revamped scheme creates a comprehensive 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 partnerships with Youth Sports Companies of the Armed Forces.
The scheme introduces Khelo India Feeder Schools and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas to integrate sports with mainstream education and enable early talent identification. A new Emerging Khelo India Athletes category will expand the structured athlete pool nearly ten-fold through stronger talent identification systems and clear pathways from grassroots competitions to Khelo India and TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme).
As of July 2026, the Khelo India Scheme has achieved significant milestones: 349 new sports infrastructure projects approved with total investment of ₹3,176 crore, 1,067 Khelo India Centres established, 267 academies supported, and 2,745 Khelo India Athletes receiving coaching, equipment, medical care and monthly out-of-pocket allowances. 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.
The expanded scheme includes more competitions through school, university, regional and sport-specific leagues, with greater opportunities for women, para-athletes and indigenous sports. It features an expanded Fit India Movement, National Coach Accreditation Board, and unified digital platform for athlete data integration. Partnerships with private academies and corporate institutions will bring additional investment and expertise.
Complementary initiatives include the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) which currently supports 51 Core Athletes, 52 Para Core Athletes and 130 Development Athletes with foreign training, international competitions, coaching camps, specialized equipment and monthly stipends (₹50,000 for core athletes, ₹25,000 for development group). The Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) initiative has completed 187,921 assessments through 174 Talent Assessment Centres across 3 States and Union Territories.
A dedicated sports goods manufacturing initiative with ₹500 crore allocation aims to strengthen India's position as a global hub for high quality sports equipment, expanding domestic manufacturing capacity and promoting research innovation.
India's international sporting performance shows consistent improvement: at the Commonwealth Games 2026 in Glasgow, India finished fourth with 39 medals (13 gold, 17 silver, 9 bronze) from a 124-member contingent. Olympic performance improved from 2 medals at Rio 2016 to 7 at Tokyo 2020 and 6 at Paris 2024. Paralympic performance grew dramatically from 4 medals at Rio 2016 to 19 at Tokyo 2020 and record 29 medals at Paris 2024. Asian Games performance reached a record 107 medals at Hangzhou 2023, up from 57 at Incheon 2014 and 69 at Jakarta 2018.
The Khelo India Games have expanded to include Youth Games, University Games, Winter Games, Para Games (2023), Beach Games (2025), Water Sports Festival (2025), and Tribal Games (2026), with over 63,000 athletes participating since 2018. The scheme aligns with Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 and National Education Policy 2020, supporting preparations for 2030 Commonwealth Games and India's Olympic hosting ambitions.