National Sports Day: Esports emerges as a pillar of India’s sporting identity

The sporting structure in India is experiencing a significant change as esports is being officially accepted as a legitimate competitive sport. On August 21, the Parliament enacted the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, 2025, which prohibited all money-based online games but offered esports a distinct difference between gambling and fantasy gaming. It is the first time that esports officially falls under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, and even then the guidelines of tournaments, training, and research are currently being developed.

The move is at a time when Indian esports is witnessing success at the international level. Ved Bamb, a more popular player called Beelzeboy, is the very first Indian to win the world championships in esports by becoming the winner of the Pokémon GO World Championships. India is establishing itself on the esports map of the world with medals already in possession at the Asian Games and Commonwealth Esports Championships and esports in future multi-sport events.

Government recognition and policy

The new Online Gaming Bill is regarded as a breakthrough for the esports ecosystem in India. It prepares the path to organised competitions, scholarships and state championships such as classic sports. This year, esports was a demonstration sport at the Khelo India Youth Games, and states such as Bihar, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Nagaland have already launched initiatives to develop young talent.

Rising scale of tournaments

Competitions between professionals are becoming bigger and more professional. The Battlegrounds Mobile India Masters Series, sponsored by NODWIN Gaming, had a Rs 1.5 crore prize pool, and women were allowed to participate in the events, the first of their kind in the tournament. These organised, competitive tournaments are comparable in intensity to mainstream sports, and their esports is a professional career option among young athletes.

Training, discipline and global exposure

Professional bootcamps in the biggest esports organisations, such as S8UL, involve players practising, working out, and training on a daily basis. This is a reflection of the training of traditional athletes. Indian teams already play at the largest levels, like the Esports World Cup in Riyadh that had a prize pool of more than 600 crore.

The availability of good equipment is also an issue, particularly with the entry of PC/console titles into international competitions. Firms such as CyberPowerPC India are also filling this gap by offering high-performance gaming systems in events. Industry pacesetters emphasise that training talent requires state-of-the-art infrastructure in the same way that conventional sports require fields and arenas.

New era for Indian sports

Having governmental support, investment in the industry, and increased social acceptance, esports are no longer marginal. It has come out as a real sport that is characterised by expertise, planning and discipline. With India celebrating the National Sports Day, esports joins the ranks of other popular sports such as cricket, football, and more as a representation of a new era in sport in the country.