New Delhi: The Sports Ministry may resume allowing Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) card holders to represent India in select disciplines.
The move can help football where it has long been felt that OCI card holders can at least be a short-term fix for the national team. Tapping into the diaspora is practised by many football federations of which Malaysia, Indonesia and Philippines are some examples.
Ranked 123rd, Indonesia are in the third round of 2026 World Cup qualifiers, the surge in their performance attributed to a number of players who were born in Netherlands. In April 2024, Indonesia were ranked 134 and below India. Eighteen of the 23-player Philippines squad for the 2023 Women’s World Cup were born in the USA. Since 2023, players born in Finland, Scotland, Argentina, Spain and Brazil have represented Malaysia’s men’s national team.
That explains why calls to use OCI and PIO (Persons of Indian Origin) players in the national team has got louder over the years with former national coaches Stephen Constantine and Igor Stimac urging the government to have a rethink. In 2023, All India Football Federation (AIFF) said it had set up a task force to do a feasibility study on PIOs. It is not clear what came out of it.
In tennis too, India have lacked depth for a long time. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) has done little to groom talent.
A sports ministry official said on Thursday there was no harm in relooking at the 2008 policy that allowed only Indian citizens to represent the country.
“If allowing OCI participation boosts the national team especially in disciplines like football, tennis, or any other discipline, then why not? It can be only for sports where Indians are not doing well,” said the official requesting anonymity given the sensitive nature of the issue.
India does not permit dual citizenship. But in the absence of guidelines, a number of OCI card holders have represented India even as the issue came up in courts of the country. Prakash Amritraj was in India’s Davis Cup team and US-born tennis player Shikha Oberoi has been part of the national team.
In 2008, then sports minister MS Gill introduced a policy that allowed only Indian citizens to represent the country. Which meant Izumi Arata, an Indian-Japanese who had been playing club football in India since 2006, could represent the national football team only after taking Indian citizenship in 2013.
BCCI, corporates promise support for Olympic sport
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya met over 50 corporate houses on Thursday and spoke about the need to come forward to support Olympic sport. Officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) were also present.
“There were 58 corporates in the meeting and they are very keen on supporting Olympic disciplines. BCCI too is interested in adopting two to three Olympic disciplines in the Olympic Centres of Excellence, the sports ministry is aiming to start this year,” an official said.
The sports ministry’s ambitious plan is to upgrade facilities of SAI, National Centres of Excellence into world class Olympic centres, focussing on one sport in one centre. “We want to start with 50-55 athletes in such centres. There will be one corporate house backing one centre and top class facilities will be provided to train athletes.”
Khelo India Beach Games from May 19
The first Khelo India Beach Games will be held in Diu, Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Daman from May 19 to 24. There will be six competitive sports – beach soccer, beach volleyball, beach speak takraw, beach kabaddi, pencak silat and open water swimming. Besides, there will be two demonstration sports — mallakhamb and tug of war. Organisers are expecting over 1000 athletes from 36 states and UTs to participate in the KIBG.