Sports Ministry asks NSFs to publish LA 2028 qualification, athlete selection roadmap by July 15
New Delhi, July 9
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has directed all recognised National Sports Federations governing Olympic disciplines to publish their qualification and athlete selection pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games by July 15, in a move aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the selection process.
In a communication issued to the federations, the Ministry asked NSFs to post the complete qualification pathway, along with the selection criteria and procedure to be followed for selecting athletes for the 2028 Games, scheduled to be held from July 14 to 30, 2028, on their official websites.
The Ministry also reiterated its existing policy that the selection criteria for major multi-sport events, including the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Para Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games, must be finalised and made publicly available at least two years before the respective event.
In addition to uploading the policy on their websites, NSFs have been instructed to share the selection framework with their affiliated State and Union Territory associations and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to ensure wider dissemination among athletes and other stakeholders.
According to the Ministry, the qualification pathways for the Los Angeles Olympics have already been released by the respective International Federations, enabling Indian federations to finalise and publish their own athlete selection framework without delay.
The Ministry has asked all recognised NSFs to complete the exercise immediately and no later than July 15.
The directive is intended to bring greater clarity and consistency to the athlete selection process by ensuring that qualification pathways, eligibility criteria, and selection procedures are available in the public domain well in advance, allowing athletes to plan their Olympic campaigns with full knowledge of the requirements.
— IANS
Reader Comments
Good idea in theory, but Indian sports federations have a history of last-minute rule changes and backroom deals. Let's see if they actually follow this deadline. The real test will be in the implementation.
As someone who has been involved in grassroots sports, I can say this is a game-changer. Many talented athletes from smaller towns never knew how selection worked. Now with everything online and shared with state associations, it's a level playing field! 💪🇮🇳
Two years before the event is a reasonable timeline for publishing criteria. This brings India in line with best practices followed by sports bodies in developed countries. Hope the NSFs take this seriously and don't just pay lip service.
Finally some accountability! The old system was so opaque that many deserving athletes were left out due to 'discretionary selections'. This directive will hopefully reduce corruption and favoritism in Indian sports administration. Let's see if IOA and NSFs comply genuinely.
Small step but significant. For Indian athletes aiming for LA 2028, knowing the exact qualification criteria and selection procedure now means they can tailor their training and competition schedules accordingly. No more last-minute surprises! 😊
I hope this doesn't become
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