Union Cabinet approves ₹29,054 crore for new phase of Khelo India to groom talent for 2036 Olympics
On August 05, 2026, the Union Cabinet approved a ₹29,054 crore allocation — an eight-fold increase — for the new phase of the Khelo India Scheme in India to identify and develop sporting talent for the 2036 Olympics.
India’s ambitions to contend for a top-10 Olympic finish are constrained by a shortage of world-class performers, the government says, noting the nation’s best finish this century was 48th with seven medals at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and a 71st-place finish with six medals at Paris 2024; officials estimate India would need roughly 30 to 40 medals, including double-digit golds, to break into the elite group. The expanded Khelo India programme is being positioned as a grassroots intervention to broaden the pipeline ahead of 2036 and to supplement existing elite support mechanisms.
The scheme plans to increase the number of Khelo India centres, State and National centres of excellence and accredited academies from roughly one per district — more than 1,000 centres at present — to an average of two or three per district. Implementation measures include involving schools and clubs, encouraging talented children to compete at club-level events, upgrading facilities, and assimilating grassroots coaches and technical officials into the system.
A novel component addresses coach education: the plan includes steps to upgrade the knowledge of local coaches by helping them overcome the language barrier posed by English, and the formation of a National Coach Accreditation Board to standardise coaching. The proposal also calls for better utilisation of physical education teachers to ensure the correct training is imparted at the basic level.
In alignment with the National Education Policy, the Khelo India Feeder Schools and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalaya initiatives are designed to integrate education and sports. The existing Khelo India Athletes programme, which currently supports 2,904 athletes, and a new Emerging Khelo India Athletes initiative aim to expand the talent pool to around 28,000.
The scheme emphasises talent identification, digitisation of the sports ecosystem to maintain data on every athlete, and creation of a bottom-to-top communication channel. The overall outlay, including assistance to National Sports Federations, is set at ₹36,441 crore for 2026-31.
Officials acknowledge the biggest challenge will be effective and transparent implementation and enabling talent to graduate to the highest level, already backed by the Target Olympic Podium Scheme. The 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad will be an immediate test of the programme’s effectiveness, and the plan also highlights the need for strict anti-doping measures, promotion of the Fit India Movement and sustained grassroots development to address concerns about doping.
The scheme’s rollout through 2026-31, backed by the ₹36,441 crore overall outlay, will be measured against performance at the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and by the ability to channel identified athletes into elite support frameworks such as the Target Olympic Podium Scheme.