NSFs must announce LA 2028 qualification, selection criteria by July 15: Sports Ministry

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) With a strong push to transform India into a global sporting powerhouse over the next decade, the Sports Ministry on Thursday directed all national sports federations (NSFs) governing Olympic disciplines to finalise and publish their qualification and selection criteria for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics by July 15. The ministry said the initiative is aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the athlete selection process by ensuring that the qualification pathway, selection criteria and selection procedures for the Games are made public well in advance, providing clarity and certainty to all stakeholders. "The selection policy and criteria for mega sporting events such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games, Para Asian Games and Commonwealth Games should be well publicised and uploaded on the official website of the concerned NSF at least two years before the commencement of the respective Games," the ministry said in a release. The ministry also directed the NSFs to share their qualification and selection policy with their affiliated state units as well as the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the country's apex sports body responsible for identifying grassroots talent, training elite athletes for international competitions, and managing sports infrastructure. The Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games are scheduled to be held from July 14 to 30, 2028. "The ministry has informed that the qualification pathways for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games have been released by the respective International Federations. Accordingly, all recognised NSFs have been requested to publish the Olympic qualification and selection pathway, including the criteria and process to be adopted for the selection of athletes for the Games, on their official websites immediately and no later than 15 July 2026," said the release. "The NSFs have also been asked to disseminate the selection pathway among all affiliated State and Union Territory Associations." The Olympic qualification and selection process framed by several NSFs has frequently come under scrutiny from athletes, often triggering avoidable controversies and legal disputes that end up overshadowing sporting achievements for all the wrong reasons. The latest directive is also aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ‘Viksit Bharat' vision, which aims to establish India among the top-10 sporting nations by 2036, when the country plans to bid for the Olympic Games, and among the top-five sporting powers by 2047, marking 100 years of independence. PTI AM AM SSC SSC