The Union Sports Ministry is reportedly aiming to position itself as a key facilitator between national sports federations and corporate sponsors eager to invest in building a strong “league culture” across India.
According to a Press Trust of India report, the ministry will oversee the organization of franchise-based leagues in 13 sports disciplines.
Per the newswire, the ministry is actively helping secure corporate funding for existing leagues in hockey and kabaddi, with plans to support the launch of franchise events in cycling and rugby within this year. Leagues for several other sports — including basketball, badminton, archery, boxing, wrestling, white water sports, and polo — are also in the pipeline.
“These leagues will follow a franchise model. While the ministry itself won’t be funding them, our role will be to connect willing corporate investors with national federations,” Union Sports Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya had said on May 22 during a media interaction. The minister said that some sports federation lacked expertise and resources to put together a sports league.
Mandaviya also added that while the franchises will generally follow a team-based format, for certain sports like archery, shooting, and yoga, which are primarily individual sports, a different format is being worked upon.
The shooting league is scheduled for November-December this year, while the yogasana league is expected to take place by the end of September.
The ministry’s plan is to establish National Sports Leagues (NSLs) under the Khelo India initiative.
PTI first reported on the plans being laid out in December last year. These efforts are being made to tap into India’s talent pool and also drive the country towards readiness to host large multi-disciplinary sports events like the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics.
Earlier this month, at the inauguration of the Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reiterated India’s determination to host the 2036 edition of the Olympics. India has already placed a bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games.
