‘Sport Must Be Part of Education’: Sportz Village CEO Saumil Majmudar on Building India’s Sporting Culture

India's sporting ambitions have traditionally been measured by medals, elite athletes and international success. But building a sporting nation begins much earlier - in schools, playgrounds and communities where children develop a love for playing. For Saumil Majmudar, Co-founder, CEO and Managing Director of Sportz Village, the priority is to make sport an integral part of every child's life, rather than merely a pathway to competitive excellence.

With more than two decades of experience in school sports and grassroots development, Majmudar believes that accessible infrastructure, trained physical education teachers, inclusive competition and enjoyable sporting experiences are essential to expanding participation. Sportz Village has reached over six million children through its in-school programmes and grassroots initiatives, with the ambition of getting 100 million children to play.

In this conversation with myKhel, Majmudar discusses India's evolving sports participation ecosystem, the role of schools in nurturing a sporting culture, the importance of physical education in holistic development, and how the government's revamped Khelo India scheme and increased sports funding can strengthen grassroots foundations. He also explains why getting every child to play - and encouraging them to continue for life - must be central to India's sporting future. Here are the excerpts:

Q1. Sport in India has traditionally been viewed through the lens of competitive success and producing elite athletes. How do you see India's sports participation ecosystem evolving, and what needs to change to get more children playing sport simply for the love of it?

I believe India's sports ecosystem is beginning to make an important shift, from seeing sport primarily as a pathway to competitive success to recognising it as part of a healthy, fulfilling life. While growing health and fitness awareness is a primary reason, events like marathons, HYROX and other participatory formats are reminding adults that sport can be fun, engaging and socially enriching, even for those who may not have had positive sporting experiences as children. This is creating a generation of parents who want their children to play more.

The real change, however, has to begin in schools. Children need opportunities to try different sports, develop basic skills and fitness, and most importantly, have positive experiences without feeling that every game is a test of their ability. Parents have an equally important role to play by encouraging participation rather than putting pressure on outcomes.

I have always believed that sport should be part of education, not simply a pathway to medals or careers. If we can make playing sport as natural a part of growing up as studying, we will not only produce better athletes, but a healthier and more active generation.

Q2. Sportz Village has set an ambitious goal of getting 100 million children to play. After more than two decades of working with schools, what have you learned about the biggest barriers that prevent children from participating in sport regularly?

After more than two decades of working with schools, we have learned that getting children to play regularly is not simply a question of building more facilities. Five factors come together: space, time, content, the facilitator and, finally, the child.

Children need safe and accessible spaces to play, enough time alongside academic demands, and content that is appropriate to the objective, whether that is enjoyment, learning or competition. But the person delivering that experience often makes the biggest difference. A PE teacher, coach or parent can determine whether a child sees sport as something they look forward to or something they feel compelled to do.

The child, of course, brings their own interests, confidence, fitness, skills, age, gender and social context into the equation. But our experience tells us that if you get the adult and the experience right, many of the other barriers become easier to overcome.

That is perhaps the biggest lesson we have learned: you don't necessarily need to create a future athlete to get a child to play. You need to create a positive experience that makes them want to come back. At Sportz Village, we have been able to touch lives of over 6 million children so far - through in-school programs in over 18000 schools and other grassroot programs across India. If we can get more adults committed to making that happen, the ambition of getting 100 million children to play becomes much more achievable.

Q3. Schools are often the only place where almost every child can be reached, but PE continues to compete with academics for time and attention. How can schools makesport an integral part of education rather than treating it as an optional or secondary activity?

Schools can make sport integral to education by treating physical education with the same structure and rigour as academic subjects. Just as mathematics has standards, curriculum, lesson plans, teaching aids, trained teachers, assessments and parent-teacher reviews, physical education needs the same framework for physical development.

At the same time, PE must remain fun and inclusive for every child. Regular assessments and data can make the conversation around sport more evidence-based. When schools can track a child's physical development and participation over time, sport becomes something that can be understood and improved, rather than simply something that takes place between academic periods.

This shift also requires parents to demand the same seriousness from schools around physical development that they demand around mathematics or science. When we have the curriculum, trained teachers, appropriate assessment and accountability in place, sport stops being an extracurricular activity and becomes what it should be: a core part of education. I believe India's growing focus on holistic education can help accelerate this shift.

Q4. Your EduSports model focuses on making sport fun, inclusive and age-appropriate rather than only identifying the most talented children. Why is this approach important for building a long-term sporting culture in India?

Our EduSports in-school sports & PE model starts with a simple belief: children play for fun. They do not begin by playing to win medals or represent the country. As they continue playing, some naturally develop the ability and interest to progress to higher levels. Therefore, building a long-term sporting culture requires positive, inclusive and age-appropriate experiences.

Fun comes from being engaged, connected with the group and stretched slightly beyond one's current limits. A structured PE curriculum helps create this experience, especially when schools have limited time and space. We use props, circuits and varied activities to keep 35-40 children actively involved while learning.

If we can make sport something every child enjoys and wants to return to, we build the foundation for everything that comes later, and I believe the country is increasingly recognising participation as the foundation for sporting excellence.

Q5. Sport is increasingly being discussed as a tool for children's physical, emotional and social development. From your experience, what impact can regular participation in sport have on children's confidence, relationships and mental wellbeing?

We have always seen sport as much more than physical activity. It gives children a space where they can participate, take risks, make mistakes, work with others and experience progress for themselves. Our 2025-26 impact data reinforces how regular participation can influence a child's overall development. Across our #SportForChange programmes, children demonstrated gains in social and emotional competencies including resilience, initiative, conflict management, communication and following instructions, alongside improvements in fitness and physical activity.

We have also seen stronger attendance, classroom engagement and behaviours that support learning. Importantly, our longitudinal tracking shows that the longer children stay in the programme, the greater the gains, with fitness and social-emotional skills compounding over time.

Sport gives children a space to participate, compete and belong, shaping confidence, relationships and aspirations. I believe India's growing focus on holistic development makes this role of sport increasingly important.

Q6. You have also spoken about the need to create sporting opportunities for children irrespective of their skill levels. How important is inclusive competition and match-play in ensuring that children don't drop out of sport because they feel they are not good enough'?

Inclusive competition is critical because the opportunity to compete should not be reserved only for children who are already good at sport. The preparation, contest, feedback and opportunity to try again are fundamental to learning. When children who are trying their best everyday feel they do not belong, sport can become stressful and they may drop out. Instead, we should meet children at their level, give them an appropriate level of competition, help them understand how to improve and support progression to the next level, much like we approach mathematics or science.

At Sportz Village, we believe competition should be developmental, rather than only about medals. As India expands sporting opportunities, we must ensure children of different abilities have equal opportunities to participate, learn and enjoy competition.

Q7. India has invested heavily in identifying elite sporting talent, but the pathway from school-level participation to competitive sport can still be fragmented. What needs to change to create a more seamless grassroots-to-athlete pathway?

Building a seamless grassroots-to-athlete pathway requires two things above all: credible data and enough competitive opportunities. We need high-integrity data on children's physical development and attributes so talent can be identified and tracked fairly. Children also need regular, credible competitions to test themselves and improve.

In high-performance school sports countries, children may play around 40 matches a year, while Indian children sometimes play only 5-10. That gap is significant. A credible competitive ladder, with fair refereeing, ethical age verification and transparent selection and progression, is essential. For us, the entire talent pathway has to be built on trust. India has made encouraging progress in grassroots sports and talent identification, and I believe the next step is connecting these efforts more effectively so participation can translate into sustained competitive pathways.

Q8. Urban India faces a serious shortage of accessible sporting spaces. How should cities rethink sports infrastructure so that children and adults can play regularly without needing to be elite athletes or members of expensive private facilities?

The shortage of sporting spaces is real, but I think we need to rethink what we mean by a "sporting space". If we only look for full-sized football fields, cricket grounds or stadiums, the shortage will always seem overwhelming. The opportunity is to think of sports infrastructure as a network of smaller, accessible spaces embedded within neighbourhoods.

Dead spaces, terraces, idle lots, public areas and even spaces beneath flyovers can be designed for physical activity through better planning and multipurpose use. We can also think differently about when these spaces are available, whether early mornings, evenings or other periods that work for the local community.

The larger challenge is often bringing stakeholders together. Corporates, government, civic bodies, schools, parents and communities all have a role. In the long term, we believe schools can become sustainable sources of community sporting space if regulation and local support enable wider access. As Indian cities grow denser, I think creative use of existing spaces will become increasingly important.

Q9. There is also a growing conversation around sport as a lifestyle for adults, not just something children do in school. Are you seeing a shift in how Indian families perceive recreational sport, fitness and active living?

Our work shows that the idea of sport as a lifestyle begins with creating positive experiences around physical activity early in life. Through #SportForChange, we have seen children become more physically active, develop healthier habits and build social-emotional skills through structured participation. The impact also extends beyond children to families and communities, as schools and communities create more opportunities and space for play, particularly for girls and underserved groups. Having run our programs in private and public schools as well as grassroot sports development initiatives, we see participation as the foundation for lifelong active living. Our objective is not simply to create athletes, but to make sport part of healthier lives. India's growing fitness culture is encouraging, and we believe it can help make active living a family habit.

Q10. Having spent more than 20 years trying different models to get children to play, what gives you the confidence that India can genuinely become a sporting nation, and what is the one change you would most like to see over the next decade?

Our confidence comes from seeing children respond when sport is accessible, structured and enjoyable. The goal cannot simply be producing elite athletes; it has to be getting every child to play while creating pathways for those who want to progress. The one change we would most like to see is a stronger ecosystem of trained facilitators. PE teachers, parents and community volunteers need the skills to keep children engaged and support every child, not only those who are naturally sporty. If we create enough adults who know how to facilitate play, we can unlock many barriers to participation.

I am optimistic about India's sporting future because the conversation is expanding beyond medals towards participation, health and wellbeing. Getting the foundation right will allow talent to emerge.

Q11. The government has recently revamped Khelo India with a ₹36,441 crore outlay, while the Union Budget has significantly increased its overall allocation for sports. From the perspective of someone working directly with schools and grassroots participation, how transformative can this investment be? What needs to happen to ensure that the increased funding translates into more children playing sport, better school infrastructure and stronger long-term sporting pathways rather than just more spending?

We see the revamped Khelo India scheme as a significant opportunity to strengthen the role of schools in India's sporting ecosystem. Initiatives such as Khelo India Feeder Schools (KIFS) and Khelo India Utkrishta Vidyalayas (KIUV) can help integrate sport and PE with mainstream education while supporting early talent identification. For lasting impact, schools need to assess their PE ecosystem across participation, fitness, skills, infrastructure, coaching and attendance. PE teachers and coaches should be equipped to identify potential through age-appropriate assessments, while talented children need clear pathways through training, competition, mentoring and academy partnerships. For us, sport has to become part of the larger education proposition, connected to health, wellbeing, life skills and leadership. The scale of investment signals that India is taking sport seriously, and I believe this is an important opportunity to build stronger grassroots foundations. And truly grassroots for us means: every child plays and plays for life!