Indian sports ambitions have never been more clearly articulated. With a stated goal of becoming a top-ten sporting nation by 2036 and a serious push to host the Olympic Games, the country has invested heavily in infrastructure, athlete support systems, and high-performance programmes.
Yet beneath the surface of this progress lies a structural weakness that has repeatedly limited India’s ability to convert talent into sustained global success: sports administration. The proposed creation of the National Council for Sports Education & Capacity Building (NCSECB), supported by the National Training & Development Cell (NTDC), represents a decisive attempt to address this long-standing gap .
For decades, Indian sport has been run largely by generalist administrators, many of whom entered the ecosystem without specialised training in sports governance, law, finance, or high-performance management. While schemes like Khelo India have strengthened the athlete pipeline, a task force led by Olympic champion Abhinav Bindra identified that the administrative backbone of Indian sport has not evolved at the same pace. Fragmented coordination between the Sports Authority of India (SAI), National Sports Federations (NSFs), and state departments has often resulted in overlapping roles, unclear accountability, and short-term decision-making.
The NCSECB is envisioned as a corrective to these systemic flaws. Unlike advisory committees of the past, it is proposed as an autonomous statutory body under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. This distinction is crucial. A statutory body, created through parliamentary approval, carries regulatory authority and institutional independence, allowing it to set mandatory standards for education, accreditation, and certification in sports administration. In effect, it would become the apex regulator for sports governance capacity in India, much like SEBI or TRAI in their respective domains.
At the heart of this reform is the belief that administrators should be as professionally trained as athletes. The NCSECB’s mandate would include accrediting educational institutions, standardising curricula, and ensuring that key administrative roles across SAI, NSFs, and state departments are occupied only by certified professionals. This is a marked departure from the current system, where appointments are often ad-hoc and continuity is fragile.
Supporting the council’s vision is the National Training & Development Cell (NTDC), which functions as the operational engine of the reform. The NTDC would coordinate training delivery through a decentralised network of nodal institutions. Premier centres such as the Lakshmibai National Institute of Physical Education and the National Sports University would anchor technical and sports-science education, while Indian Institutes of Management and National Law Universities would contribute expertise in management, governance, and sports law. This model allows India to leverage existing academic excellence rather than building parallel structures from scratch.
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A defining feature of the proposed framework is its integration with digital governance platforms. By aligning with the iGOT Karmayogi ecosystem under Mission Karmayogi, sports administrators across the country would gain access to continuous, role-based learning. Complementing this is the e-Khel Pathshala portal, a sports-specific learning management system that would host India-centric curricula, global case studies, and live interactions with international experts. Together, these platforms aim to move training from sporadic workshops to a culture of lifelong professional development.
Accountability is another pillar of the reform. The introduction of a Unique Administrator ID (UAID) and a national digital registry would create a single source of truth for sports administrators in India. Every official’s qualifications, certifications, and professional development credits would be digitally tracked. Importantly, certification would not be permanent; periodic renewal would be mandatory, ensuring that administrators stay updated with evolving global standards. This system also promises greater transparency in appointments, reducing the scope for patronage and unqualified leadership in sensitive roles.
The reform is not limited to bureaucrats alone. Recognising that former athletes are increasingly mandated to hold governance positions, the framework proposes a structured dual-career pathway. Active and retired athletes would be able to pursue modular education alongside their sporting careers, easing their transition into leadership roles post-retirement. International examples from Sebastian Coe to Kirsty Coventry demonstrate how athlete-administrators can add immense value when equipped with the right skills.
Equally significant is the attempt to benchmark Indian sports administration against global standards. The NCSECB intends to align its accreditation principles with internationally recognised bodies such as COSMA, NASSM, and EASM. This ensures that Indian qualifications are not insular, but globally credible opening pathways for international collaboration and exchange of best practices.
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Ultimately, this reform acknowledges a hard truth: medals are not produced by talent alone. They are the outcome of well-run ecosystems where governance, planning, and execution function seamlessly. By professionalising sports administration through the NCSECB and NTDC, India is attempting to fix a structural weakness that has lingered for decades.
If implemented with consistency and independence, this framework could mark a turning point—not just in how Indian sport is managed, but in how success is sustained. As India looks toward 2036, the race is no longer only on the field of play. It is also in boardrooms, classrooms, and training portals, where the next generation of sports leaders is being shaped.
