Northeast India: Advancing Sports Development And Infrastructure Initiatives

The Northeast region of India is recognized as a significant hub for sports talent, prompting the Government of India to take substantial steps to bolster the sports infrastructure and ecosystem in the area.

One of the pivotal initiatives announced by the Hon'ble Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, is the annual hosting of the Khelo India Northeast Games in one of the eight Northeast states, including Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.

This decision underscores the government's commitment to nurturing sports talent and providing a platform for showcasing traditional games, which is a testament to the region's evolving sports landscape.

Dr. Mandaviya highlighted the transformation of the Northeast during his address at the Rising Northeast Investors Summit 2025, held at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. He emphasized the region's contributions to the development of a 'New India' and its potential to become a global sports destination.

With India's focus on hosting international competitions such as the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and the Summer Olympics in 2036, the Minister pointed out India's diverse climate as an advantageous factor for organizing year-round events, aligning with the 'Play in India' initiative inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make in India' campaign.

Enhancing Sports Infrastructure and Training Facilities

The sports infrastructure in the Northeast has seen a significant boost, with 86 projects currently operational. In 2021, the Khelo India scheme allocated Rs 439 crore for 64 sports infrastructure projects across the region, including the development of synthetic turfs, multipurpose halls, swimming pools, and hostels.

Additionally, the Northeast is home to 152 Khelo India Centres (KICs) training over 8000 athletes and 8 Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs), which are instrumental in creating a strong grassroots ecosystem. The presence of 3 National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) in Guwahati, Itanagar, and Imphal further exemplifies the focused efforts towards providing world-class training to athletes.

To bolster female participation in sports, Khelo India's flagship scheme for women, the ASMITA League, saw around 13,000 girls from the Northeast compete across various disciplines last year, showcasing the region's potential to contribute significantly to the national team's bench strength in the future.

Talent Identification and Promotion

In a move to unearth and nurture sports talent across the country, the Government will initiate a comprehensive talent identification drive. This initiative allows anyone to capture and submit a video of a player's performance to the Sports Ministry via the National Sports Repository System (NSRS) portal. The Sports Authority of India (SAI) will deploy talent scouts to assess the athletes' performance on location, facilitating their induction into either a Khelo India Centre or NCOE based on their potential.

The successful hosting of the Khelo India University Games Ashtalakshmi in 2023 in the Northeast marked a significant milestone, demonstrating the region's capacity to organize large-scale national sporting events in disciplines such as athletics, football, boxing, and archery. This event not only showcased the Northeast's sports hosting capabilities but also emphasized the region's importance in India's sports narrative.

"The way Northeast is undergoing transformation, sports goods industry and sports ecosystem is developing, the day is not far when the world will converge in the Northeast to play. Today, India's best athletes are coming from the Northeast.

"They are representing India in top international competitions and taking Indian sports forward. In line with the Khelo India Youth Games and University Games, we will be staging the Khelo India Northeast Games here every year which will not only help us scout talent, and harness potential but also provide a platform to showcase our traditional games as well," Dr. Mandaviya stated, highlighting the bright future of sports in the Northeast and its role in elevating India on the global sports stage.