SPORTS AUTHORITY OF INDIA (SAI) is expanding its athlete development framework as part of a broader effort to strengthen India’s medal prospects at upcoming global sporting events.
Through its network of SAI National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) and SAI Training Centres (STCs), the organisation is nurturing a new generation of athletes, helping them progress from grassroots programmes to international competition. The continued expansion of these centres is expected to create a more structured pathway for identifying and developing future champions.
Introduced in 2019, the NCOE model focuses on building a high-performance ecosystem that is athlete-centric and coach-led. It incorporates sports science, analytics and modern management systems into everyday training programmes. At present, NCOEs support more than 4,000 athletes, forming part of a wider talent development pyramid that also includes around 4,800 trainees across STCs.
Athletes from the NCOE system have delivered consistent results across various competitions. Competitors training at the Gandhinagar centre performed strongly at the Para Youth Asian Games 2025, securing medals in disciplines including swimming, powerlifting, table tennis and athletics. The momentum continued at the Fazza International Para Athletics Grand Prix in February 2026, where athletes from the Gandhinagar contingent won multiple gold medals across several events.
The structured development framework at NCOEs aims to identify and nurture talent across different age groups with a long-term focus on Olympic success. Talent identification programmes such as the National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) and the STC network scout athletes from as young as eight years old.
Athletes enrolled in these programmes benefit from residential training facilities, academic support and integrated sports science services designed to meet international high-performance standards. Progress is monitored through data-driven performance tracking systems to ensure sustained development.
By establishing training centres across diverse regions, India is also widening access to elite sporting infrastructure. This approach enables young athletes from rural and semi-urban areas to access opportunities that were previously concentrated in major cities.
