New Delhi: The categorization of various Sports disciplines is reviewed after each Olympic Games and the Asian Games with respect to their performance in these Games. The last such review was done in April 2008. Now that the Olympics 2012 and the Asian Games 2014 are over, a review has been undertaken by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports in order to make them eligible for assistance based on their performance. The matter has been deliberated at length with various stakeholders before the categorization was finalised. 

The guidelines for Assistance to National Sports Federations (NSFs) were formulated in 2001 with a view to providing financial assistance to the NSFs, recognized by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.  Though, certain financial and physical ceilings under the Scheme of Assistance to NSFs were revised in June 2011, a lot of developments/changes have taken place subsequently and the entire sports eco-system has changed with corporate houses spending/sponsoring funds for various activities such as holding international tournaments, training of top athletes, organizing prize money events etc. The Government has also made provisions in the Companies Act, 2013 which facilitates the corporate houses to spend money from their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for the sports activities such as training to promote rural sports, recognized sports, Paralympics sports and Olympic sports etc.  

With the aforesaid and other developments that have taken place internationally, it has also been felt that the National Sports Federations (NSFs) should not exclusively look at the Govt. for funding of their entire activities.  The NSFs are required to tap other sources of funds to finance their operations and financial support from the Government  should  only be supplemental in nature.  In the new environment the Scheme of Assistance to NSFs  needs to be operated as a top-up scheme of the Govt. for funding the short fall for important events such as Olympics, Asian Games, CWG, international ranking tournaments, the events which have a long traditional history and internationally important events of major disciplines where the country has been doing well. 

Keeping in view the above factors and with a view to optimally utilize the limited budget under the Scheme of Assistance to NSFs it has been decided that while the existing category of sports disciplines be retained, the sports disciplines in which medals have been won in Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and World Championships need to be incentivized and a new category viz.“High Priority” be introduced.

After due deliberations, it has been decided to place the recognized sports disciplines in the following categories: 

(i)      High Priority – The sports disciplines played in the Olympic Games and in which India have won medals in last conducted Asian Games as well as CWG or in which India has good chance of winning medals in Olympics.

(ii)     Priority – The sports disciplines covered under any of the following criteria:-

          a.       popular mass games in India.

         b.       Disciplines in which India has won medals in the last conducted                     Asian games/CWG

c.       Sports disciplines for sections requiring special attention viz differently-abled, mentally challenged, hearing / visually impaired, school games, etc.

d.       Sports disciplines included in any of the mega events such as Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and in which India has secured upto 6th place in individual events and upto 8th place in team events.

(iii)    Others - All other sports disciplines not covered in the above categories.

          Based on above, the revised category of sports disciplines is as under: