New Delhi: As the national sports federations (NSF) have defaulted to adhere to the sports ministry’s timeline for finalisation of selection criteria for Asian Games, they have been given a fresh deadline of August 29 to put a mechanism in place.
Little headway has been achieved after the ministry asked NSFs to publicise their selection process and criteria for major events a minimum of two years in advance.
Thus speaking at the Khelo Bharat Conclave on Thursday, sports secretary Hari Ranjan Rao set August 29 as a fresh date for NSFs to put finalise their selection mechanism, including uploading of selection policies on their respective websites and mandatory videotaping of selection trials.
Scripting Bharat’s Sporting Future!
Addressed the Khelo Bharat Conclave 2025 in New Delhi today, where NSFs, Athletes, Coaches, Corporates, and Government came together to shape the future of Indian sports.
Modi Government has always prioritised the welfare of sportspersons… pic.twitter.com/iC0go1OVQs
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) July 17, 2025
“Let’s have a selection plan for the Asian Games by August 29, which is also the National Sports Day (and the birth anniversary of hockey icon Dhyan Chand). If we do that, we will have one entire year to prepare ourselves,” Rao said, in an attempt to standardise selection criteria.
India claimed 106 medals, including 328 gold at the 2022 Asian Games and aims to improve that haul in its Aichi-Nagoya edition that will be held from September 19 to October 4 next year.
Commitment
The ministry is set to table the National Sports Governance Bill in the monsoon session of the Parliament next week, and Rao pointed out that it is an opportune moment for NSFs to adopt good practices in governance.
“I say on the upcoming National Sports Day, take a vow to announce three good governance measures in your NSF. It will reflect a commitment,” he said, also urging them to digitise and upload their annual calendar on the National Sports Repository System.
“I request cooperation from everyone, let’s go online by October 1. Let’s get rid of this offline ACTC documentation.”