Board to Adopt 2-3 Olympic Disciplines, Work to Begin in 2024
New Delhi, May 15 – The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has expressed willingness to adopt two to three Olympic disciplines under the Union Sports Ministry's ambitious plan to establish corporate-backed individual Centres of Excellence. The initiative aims to groom top-tier athletes for current and upcoming Olympic cycles, with groundwork scheduled to commence this year.The development was revealed during a meeting chaired by Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Thursday, which included 58 leading corporate entities.
“BCCI’s representative Rajeev Shukla stated that the Board is open to supporting two to three Olympic sports and will let the Ministry decide which disciplines they will be,” a ministry source confirmed.
Corporate Interest Bolsters Olympic Vision
The government envisions the establishment of exclusive Olympic Centres for individual sports, each training 100 to 200 elite athletes. According to officials, all 58 participating corporations showed keen interest in contributing to the initiative.Currently, India has 23 National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) managed by the Sports Authority of India (SAI). However, only three are dedicated to single sports: boxing (Rohtak), swimming (Delhi), and shooting (Delhi). Patiala and Bengaluru host the most significant multi-sport centres.
Inspired by successful international models in Japan, the US, and Australia, Minister Mandaviya has consistently advocated for sport-specific training hubs to nurture Olympic-level talent.
BCCI's Past Support and Future Role
While the BCCI has previously extended financial support to Olympic disciplines—Rs 50 crore to the National Sports Development Fund in 2008 and Rs 8.5 crore to the Indian Olympic Association last year—this marks the first time the Board may be actively involved in shaping athlete development.The Board also awarded Rs 4 crore in cash prizes to India’s Tokyo Olympic medalists, including Rs 1 crore to gold-medal winning javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra.
A senior BCCI official remained tight-lipped on the meeting's details, stating, “Things will be communicated if anything crystallises.”
Revisiting the OCI Representation Ban
The Ministry is also re-examining a long-debated policy that prevents Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) from representing the country in international competitions. Enforced in 2008, the ban permits only Indian passport-holders to compete for the nation.Although discussions are still in the early stages, the focus has largely been on football and tennis, where stakeholders believe that including OCI players could benefit national performance.
The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has shown strong interest in the proposal, although no high-profile OCI players are poised to join the Indian team. Tennis has seen impacted players in the past, notably Prakash Amritraj, son of legendary Vijay Amritraj.
“There is no harm in reconsidering because we would like the best of our talent to be able to represent us. But again, it's a very long road,” a source noted.
Push to Strengthen Federation Governance
The Ministry continues its push to minimize judicial intervention in sports governance. Minister Mandaviya has reportedly been mediating between rival factions in various federations to resolve internal disputes.“The aim is to ensure federations, not judges, govern sport. Litigation harms athletes, and we want to avoid that,” a ministry official emphasized, citing the recent resolution of the wrestling federation’s administrative conflict.