Says Khelo India 2.0 will create a complete pathway from schools and grassroots to the Olympic podium
Hamirpur, August 29, 2026: Former Union Cabinet Minister and Hamirpur MP Anurag Singh Thakur on Saturday participated in the National Sports Day celebrations at the SAI National Centre of Excellence (NCOE), Hamirpur, and paid tribute to legendary hockey player Major Dhyan Chand.
Thakur said Dhyan Chand’s legacy goes beyond the medals and victories he secured for India and represents the enduring values of discipline, dedication, perseverance and patriotism. National Sports Day, he said, is an occasion to celebrate that legacy while renewing the commitment to creating a sporting culture where every child gets an opportunity to identify, pursue and excel in sport.
Highlighting the transformation of India’s sporting ecosystem, Thakur said the allocation for the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has increased from ₹1,643 crore in 2014-15 to ₹4,479.88 crore in 2026-27.
He also highlighted India’s performance at the 2026 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, where India participated in only 10 disciplines and several traditional medal-winning sports were not part of the competition. Despite the constraints, India finished fourth with 39 medals — 13 gold, 17 silver and nine bronze.
Thakur said the performances of Indian athletes in boxing, athletics, weightlifting and judo underline the growing depth and competitiveness of Indian sport.
Hamirpur NCOE emerging as a key sporting hub
Thakur also lauded the performance of the SAI NCOE Hamirpur, which currently supports athletes in six disciplines — athletics, badminton, boxing, hockey, judo and wrestling.
He highlighted the achievements of its athletes, including Mansi Singh’s gold medal at the All India Senior Ranking Badminton Tournament, nine medals at the Himachal Pradesh Senior State Badminton Championship and strong performances by the centre’s judokas at Khelo India competitions.
Khelo India 2.0 to build the complete athlete-development ecosystem
Welcoming the recently approved Khelo India 2.0, Thakur said the programme represents a fundamental shift from merely supporting sporting competitions to creating a comprehensive athlete-development pathway from schools and grassroots programmes to the Olympic podium.
He particularly welcomed the introduction of Khelo India Feeder Schools, saying the initiative will connect schools with the wider sporting ecosystem and enable the early identification and systematic nurturing of sporting talent.
The expansion of the Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIA) pool, integration of sports with education, scientific talent identification, sports science, technology-enabled athlete monitoring and a structured progression from Foundation and Grassroots levels to Elite training will create a much wider pool of future champions, he said.
With ₹36,441 crore allocated for Khelo India 2.0 for 2026-27 to 2030-31, Thakur said the objective is to build a sustainable sporting ecosystem capable of consistently producing world-class athletes.
Khelo India 2.0 is not merely about finding champions; it is about building the entire system that creates champions, Thakur said.
