Discuss the role of schemes like Khelo India and TOPS in transforming India's sporting ecosystem since 2014. What structural challenges remain in achieving India's 2036 Olympic ambitions?

India's sporting policy since 2014 has shifted from ad-hoc patronage to a structured talent pipeline, anchored in the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (2014) and Khelo India (2018). The Union Budget 2026-27 has now scaled this into a decade-long Khelo India Mission, targeting a place among the top 10 sporting nations by 2036 [1].

Transformation achieved

• Elite funding: TOPS gives identified medal prospects customised support — foreign training, international exposure, equipment, coaching and a monthly stipend — through Core and Development Groups [3].
• Grassroots-to-podium pipeline: Khelo India Games, academies and Khelo India Centres link school-level scouting to elite training, replacing the earlier gap between mass participation and Olympic preparation [2].
• Measurable outcomes: record hauls of 107 medals at the Asian Games and 111 at the Asian Para Games; a majority of India's Paris Paralympics contingent was TOPS-supported [2].
• Inclusion: ASMITA targets women's competitive participation, addressing a persistent gender gap [2].
• Economic depth: ₹500 crore for sports goods manufacturing moves policy from participation to production and global supply-chain presence [1].

Structural challenges

• Narrow base: medals cluster in a few disciplines and a few states; district-level infrastructure and qualified coaches remain thin.
• Governance deficits: federation disputes, litigation and weak athlete grievance redress divert energy from preparation.
• Sports science gap: shortage of physiotherapists, nutritionists and data-driven load management limits conversion of talent into podium finishes.
• Financing concentration: elite schemes absorb a large share, while school and university sports depend on constrained state budgets; sport remains a State subject.
• Pipeline attrition: absence of assured post-career livelihoods pushes athletes out early.

The 2014-onwards architecture has demonstrably widened India's medal base and professionalised athlete support. Sustaining it to 2036 requires the Khelo India Mission to institutionalise transparent federation governance, decentralised sports-science capacity and school-level participation — converting scheme-driven success into a self-sustaining ecosystem consistent with the human-capital goals of SDG 3.