Bindra urges patience as India draws up under-15 talent identification module

Abhinav Bindra on October 30, 2026 urged caution as India's Sports Ministry drew up a four-stage Talent Identification and Development Module under the Khelo India Scheme to identify children under 15 and prepare them for the 2036 Olympic Games in Ahmedabad. He said the programme must not judge a child's potential by a single test and that "potential cannot always be measured through a single test or assessment."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the initiative during his Independence Day address earlier this year and the Sports Ministry has outlined the module for 2026-27 to 2030-31. Bindra, who became India's first individual Olympic gold medallist at the 2008 Beijing Games, welcomed the move but posted questions on X about how talent will be assessed. He wrote that "behind every test, every assessment and every number is a young child with a dream." He added: "A child who is not the best at 14 may still have everything it takes to become extraordinary at 24," Bindra wrote.

Bindra highlighted the challenge of separating present performance from long-term potential, asking: "When we assess two 14-year-olds, are we always comparing talent, or are we sometimes comparing biological maturity?" He asked, "How do we distinguish that temporary advantage from long-term potential?" and queried whether assessments measure only current ability "or also their ability to learn, adapt and improve?"

He raised questions about unequal starting points, asking explicitly: "How do we account for differences in nutrition, family circumstances and access to coaching?" Bindra noted that "A child who has never received structured training may not perform as well as one who has had years of support. But does that necessarily tell us who has greater potential?"

Bindra urged systems that track development over time, asking: "Should we be tracking growth and maturation over time, so that training, recovery and injury prevention reflect how each child is developing rather than simply how old they are?" He also asked: "And can we give grassroots coaches the knowledge and tools to recognise these differences, especially during the rapid changes of adolescence?"

He warned that early selection can create an opportunity gap: "If a child develops early, performs well and is selected, that child naturally receives better coaching and greater exposure. But what happens to the child who develops later? How do we make sure that one assessment doesn’t quietly close a door that might have opened a few years later?" Bindra called for measures to keep children engaged and to recognise the different needs of girls and boys, athletes with disabilities, and children pursuing different sports.

The Ministry's framework comprises four levels—Foundation, Grassroots, Intermediate and Elite—with the Elite stage supported by the government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). At the Foundation level the focus will be on introducing children to sport through partnerships with schools and the Ministry of Education, covering basic skills, physical fitness and participation. The Grassroots stage will move identified children into early-stage coaching at Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas, Khelo India Feeder Schools and Khelo India Centres. At the Intermediate level athletes will be classified as Emerging Khelo India Athletes (E-KIA) or Khelo India Athletes (KIA) and will train at Sports Authority of India Training Centres (STCs), SAI National Centres of Excellence (NCoEs), Khelo India Accredited Academies (KIAAs), Khelo India Centres of Excellence including universities, Youth Sports Companies working with the Armed Forces, and other suitable academies.

Bindra suggested longitudinal tracking to learn "which early qualities really translate into senior excellence, why some progress while others leave sport, and how we can keep improving the decisions we make." His larger point was that India's search for future Olympic medallists must allow children to develop at their own pace and not let a single assessment at 14 determine long-term opportunity.

The module covers 2026-27 to 2030-31 and is explicitly aimed at preparing a cohort of youngsters for the 2036 Olympic Games in Ahmedabad, which India is bidding to host.