The unprecedented success of India at multiple world stages like Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and other international championships is not hidden. 7 Medals at Olympics, a staggering 19 Medals in Paralympics, double-digit medals at competitions like the Shooting world cup, Boxing Championships and other tournaments are what we have achieved recently. The core of all this success is the grit, determination and hard work of athletes combined with the constant support of the Indian government.
Among all this, one of the major pillars of Indian success in several sports is the Sports Authority of India, which has groomed the young talent of India since its inception. Let us dig deep into SAI’s tireless efforts.
The pivot of the sports ecosystem – SAI
SAI has been the pivot of the sports ecosystem in the country since it was established in 1982 and has played an instrumental role in identifying and developing grassroots talents across the country. SAl has worked with twin objectives of promoting sports and achieving sporting excellence at the national and international levels.
From providing training to elite athletes and at the same time operating a number of schemes for the identification and development of young talent, SAI has been at the forefront of developing Indian Sports. A major part of SAI’s work comes from its various regional centers and training centers that are spread throughout the country.
SAI’s Schemes provide a strong foundation to the Indian Sporting ecosystem
At present, six schemes namely – National Centers of Excellence (NCOE), SAI Training Center(s), Extension Center of STC, NSTC – Regular Schools, Indigenous Games & Martial Arts and Akharas are providing the young athletes with the necessary training and needs that an athlete needs to focus on the sports. According to available data, currently, 6,586 Boys and 2,639 girls are training in 189 various Centers under these six schemes. The maximum intake is in SAI training Center(s) with 4,817 individuals followed by National Centers of Excellence (NCOE)- 2788.
2,967 Khelo India Athletes (Male: 1494 & Girls: 1473) have been selected on a pan India basis under Khelo India Scheme.
The SAI centers endeavour to train athletes to achieve excellence in the Olympics and other International Events. These centers impart specialized training to promising athletes by providing state of the art infrastructure and playing facilities, sports science backup, individualized diet prescribed by trained nutritionists and overall supervision under the best coaches, qualified support staff and High-Performance Directors.
Among all centers, the National Centers of Excellence operate as regular coaching camps for the best available talent in India and provide concurrent layers of prospective sports persons, giving a wider choice of talent and continuity for selection to National Teams and is also capable of accommodating elite to development athletes.
The Sports Authority of India has played a pivotal role in uplifting the Indian sporting ecosystem. Largely to sports that are less recognized in the nation and athletes find it hard to pursue a career in these sports. But SAI’s overall development has helped athletes in domains like Para-Sports, Wrestling, Archery, Athletics, Boxing, Cycling, Fencing, Football, Taekwondo and several other sports. This constant and herculean task by SAI has yielded fruitful results in major International platforms. With SAI, India is marching towards a multi-sporting nation where players like Neeraj, PV Sindhu, Mirabai Chanu are becoming an inspiration to young athletes and are inspiring them to take sports that are less known to the nation.
