The Sports Ministry on Friday released operational guidelines under a revised funding framework for National Sports Federations, permitting each federation to draw up to Rs 50 crore in government assistance when hosting international competitions — a provision set out under the updated Assistance to NSFs scheme.
Allocation levels for National Championships have held steady, with high-priority disciplines drawing Rs 90 lakh in total — divided equally at Rs 30 lakh apiece across the senior, junior, and sub-junior categories — while priority and general disciplines together receive Rs 75 lakh, apportioned at Rs 25 lakh for each of the three age-group tiers. Under the previous funding framework, each national sports federation could receive as much as Rs two crore toward the costs of participating in international competitions.
Funding from the ANSF scheme flows toward national coaching camps, athlete development programmes, academy-based training, the recruitment of overseas coaches and High Performance Directors, and the deployment of support specialists — physiotherapists, sports scientists, and medical staff among them. Overseas exposure through international training camps and competitions, along with the hosting of Senior, Junior, and Sub-Junior National Championships, grassroots pathways and junior athlete development programmes, and administrative and governance assistance to National Sports Federations all fall within the scope of the scheme.
The guidelines were described as consistent with long-term sporting objectives, including the pursuit of a 2036 Olympic hosting bid and plans to stage the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad. The ministry statement noted that National Sports Federations could receive up to Rs 50 crore in financial assistance for organising an international event, with the actual amount varying according to the event's nature, its standing in the sporting calendar, and the number of countries and athletes taking part.
According to a ministry release, a dedicated committee under the chairmanship of the Secretary (Sports) will be responsible for evaluating submissions put forward by National Sports Federations. Disciplines where the country has claimed medals or placed inside the top ten at the Olympics or World Championships — provided those events draw at least 50 nations and 500 athletes in individual formats, or more than 12 nations and 200 participants in team formats — are eligible for the full Rs 50 crore allocation.
The second funding band, set at Rs 20 crore, covers disciplines where athletes or teams have placed among the top 16 at either the Olympics or a World Championships that drew fewer than 50 nations for individual events, or fewer than 12 for team competitions. Up to Rs 20 crore in funding would also be made available for world championships of indigenous sports that draw participation from more than 50 countries, with officials noting that the tiered structure is intended to attract well-organised international competitions to India.
A Ministry official conveyed to a broadcaster that below-par events held under the banner of international competition would not be accepted by the department. Funding of up to Rs 3 crore may be made available for Asian Championships hosted in India, with the exact amount tied to participant numbers and the country's standing at the Asian Games in that particular sport, while the panel overseeing such requests from national sports federations will establish its own criteria and processes for evaluating each application, according to a statement from the Ministry.
The updated scheme also sets aside funding of up to Rs 50 crore to support the hosting of National Games, with money allocated across sports equipment, technical officials' pay, the administration of Timing, Scoring and Result services, and the broader management of technical conduct.
Under the new arrangement, athletes in overseas training programmes can have up to USD 60 a day excluded from the meal expenses they are required to document and submit upon completing their stint in order to claim reimbursement. Athletes bound for major international competitions, including the Olympics, currently train at National Centres of Excellence, specialist academies, private facilities, and venues abroad, while a separate initiative under way would establish Olympic Training Centres furnished with advanced sports-science equipment to raise the standard of preparation available to them.
The official statement described plans for sport-specific centres equipped with contemporary training infrastructure and specialist expertise, positioning this domestic investment as a way to reduce how often Indian athletes train abroad — a goal that Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had previously put on record.
