In a major development for India’s Olympic aspirations, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has expressed the cricket board’s interest in developing an Olympic training centre at no cost for the government. According to the sports ministry sources, the BCCI is considering adopting and funding “two-to-three”sports as a part of a national initiative to enhance India’s Olympic performance.
The Sports Ministry’s ambitious plan involves the creation of specialised Olympic training centres across the country, each focused on a single sport. These centres will identify and train 100 to 200 talented athletes across various age groups for both the current and next Olympic cycle.
“The ministry is looking to create Olympic centres for every sport where it will identify 100 to 200 talented athletes across the nation and train them across different age groups for this Olympic cycle and the next Olympic cycle,” said a source from the Sports Ministry to the Indian Express.
In a recent meeting, which was attended by 58 corporate houses, including Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs), interest was expressed in supporting the initiative. “Today, there was a meeting of the sports minister with 58 corporations. They expressed their interest towards such an initiative. The likes of the BCCI are ready to take care of all the expenses of two or three sports,” the source added.
“We are looking to introduce a scheme where we allow OCI to represent the country” – a ministry official
The BCCI has a history of supporting Olympic efforts, having donated ₹8.5 crore to the Indian Olympic Association last year to aid preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Currently India has 23 National Centres of Excellenceoperated by the by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), but only three, Rohtak (boxing), and two in Delhi (swimming and shooting), which are single-sport focused.
Meanwhile, the Sports Ministry is also revisiting the eligibility policy for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) in an effort to strengthen sports like football, where India has struggled internationally.
“We are looking to introduce a scheme where we allow OCI to represent the country, especially in sports where we are weak, such as football. There is no harm in reconsidering because we want the best of our talent to represent us,” a ministry official said.
The move could reverse the 2008 policy that barred OCI and Person of Indian Origin (PIO) cardholders from representing India at international events.
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