Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said a new sports culture has developed in the country under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government.
"Over the past 11 years, we have witnessed the birth of a new sports culture. Before 2014, sports and sporting competitions were not part of the government's agenda. People believed it was not a priority area. It was often neglected," Adityanath said at the inaugural programme of the Eastern Zone Inter-University Women's Basketball Tournament at the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Gorakhpur University.
Earlier, he said, athletes were forced to move to other states as the infrastructure did not meet international standards. "But now, after 2014, the kind of sports culture that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has developed is truly remarkable to witness," the chief minister said.
It is true that during the UPA government, corruption allegations did not spare the field of sports. For instance, the alleged scam in the Commonwealth Games of 2010.
It is also a fact that the All India Football Federation (AIFF) chief was Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, a Congress minister, and then Praful Patel, another UPA minister. The Indian Olympics Committee was run by Congress MP Suresh Kalmadi. And the Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) president was Sharad Pawar.
India’s Olympics medal tally has improved. In the three Olympic Games held between 2004 and 2012, Athens, Beijing and London, India secured 10 medals.
From 2016 to 2024, in the Rio, Tokyo and Paris Olympics, India secured 15 medals.
The Modi government has also introduced schemes like Khelo India (in 2018), whose main objective is to explore talent at the grassroots level. But those in the know question what it has achieved.
“Has Khelo India been implemented? Have any Khelo India products brought any laurels for the country? I am sure if Khelo India produced a global talent the sports ministry would have let us know,” said Norris Pritam, author of The Neeraj Chopra Story and long-distance-runner-turned independent journalist who has covered six Olympics.
Questions remain about the infrastructure build up too.
International javelin-thrower Annu Rani, from Uttar Pradesh, learnt the art by throwing sugarcane in the fields. She travelled six hours every day to reach Delhi just to practise for about an hour.
This is the story of many sportspersons in our country. Has the situation changed?
“Prime Minister Modi shows interest. He clicks pictures with sports people. The government is spending money. But stadiums have turned into a place for weddings, rallies and political detention when there are protests. Even Rajpath was used for running once. Milkha Singh trained there. Can you run there now?” Pritam asked.
“Khelo India is a disaster despite spending money.”
One Kolkata parent, of a child keen on athletics, asked: “How can Khelo India help my daughter become a runner? I have been looking for some coaching facility but there is none available. Most parents who can afford get their kids personal trainers. Where is the talent scouting in schools?”
The India Open Super 750 badminton tournament underway in Delhi also holds up lessons in sobriety about “sporting culture” in India.
A monkey romped around the gallery during a match, bird poop stopped another match – officials were seen wiping it off with tissues – while one Danish player called out the unhygienic camps and a four-time world champion pulled out of the tournament because of air pollution.
On Thursday, two teenage girl athletes, both trainees staying at a Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Kerala, were found dead in one of their rooms.
Adityanath’s statement also came on a day when FC Goa players, including India football captain Sandesh Jhingan and support staff, accepted pay cuts for the truncated Indian Super League (ISL) season beginning February 14.
Reports suggest that Bengaluru FC players, former India captain Sunil Chhetri and star goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu may have also accepted a pay cut.
A few weeks ago, Indian football was in a deep crisis.
Expiry of the Master Rights Agreement between the AIFF and its commercial partner, Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL), in December 2025 led to a deadlock for the Indian Super League to start.
The fallout led to Supreme Court interventions and failed attempts to rope in new commercial partners, leaving clubs, players and fans stranded.
On January 2, in a joint Instagram video, Indian football’s most recognisable faces Sunil Chhetri, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Sandesh Jhingan appealed to Fifa to intervene.
Jhingan spoke of “fear and desperation”, while Chhetri underlined the uncertainty engulfing the ecosystem.
The players warned of long-term damage. They alleged that the “Indian football government” had failed to fulfil its responsibilities and cautioned that the sport was staring at “permanent paralysis” unless urgent corrective steps were taken.
AIFF chief Kalyan Chaubey, a former footballer and now a BJP politician, was at the centre of the ISL storm.
How the Modi government treated India’s women wrestlers is well known.
Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and many others sat on protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Singh, a six-time BJP MP, accusing him of sexual harassment and mismanagement.
They were dragged out of Jantar Mantar. As a last resort they went to Haridwar to throw their medals in the Ganga as a mark of protest. Farmer leader Rakesh Tikait stopped them from tossing their medals.
The visuals of Phogat being dragged in the streets of Delhi cannot be easily forgotten.
Amid this, India wants to bid for the 2036 Olympics. The host city would be Ahmedabad. This is often touted as symbolic of India’s geopolitical clout and interest in sports.
“Ahmedabad hasn’t produced any-world class player. But for political reasons they are building infrastructure,” Norris said.
“How will they fill up stadiums? Will they bring people from Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan?”.