New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a large-scale talent-identification campaign for children aged five to 15 as part of efforts to prepare Indian athletes for major international competitions in 2036.
The Prime Minister’s Office highlighted the announcement in a post on its official X account during Modi’s address at the Khelo India Dialogue.
“We must begin preparing today the athletes who will qualify and compete in different sports in 2036,” Modi said, according to the post.
The Prime Minister said he had announced the extensive talent-hunt campaign from the Red Fort on Independence Day.
The initiative will seek to identify promising athletes between five and 15 years of age and develop their abilities for different sporting disciplines.
In a series of posts on X, Modi said India currently does not participate in nearly half the sporting disciplines included in the Olympics, leaving the country outside contention for a substantial share of the available medals.
He said India’s sporting vision should extend beyond winning medals and connect the country’s sporting strength and youth power with the objective of building a developed India.
Modi also emphasised the importance of playgrounds and sports centres and said participation in sports teaches athletes to recover from setbacks and become better competitors.
The PMO post did not immediately provide details about the selection mechanism, geographical coverage, implementing agencies or proposed timeline for the talent-hunt campaign.
