Dr. Mandaviya to Inaugurate Khelo India Rising Talent Identification Program

Dr. Mandaviya will lay emphasis on the project's goal of achieving 20 lakh assessments in FY 2024-25 by onboarding all states and treating each district as a unit of assessment.

As the Paris Olympics draws near, the Government's ambitious Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) program is set to receive a significant boost under the leadership of the Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. He will inaugurate Phase 2 of the initiative in New Delhi tomorrow. The first phase of KIRTI was launched in Chandigarh on March 12 this year.

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya's Vision

Dr. Mandaviya will lay emphasis on the project's goal of achieving 20 lakh assessments in FY 2024-25 by onboarding all states and treating each district as a unit of assessment. This aligns with Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision of promoting sports to every child in the country through mass participation and ultimately achieving excellence through Khelo India’s structured pyramidal programs.

Achievements of Phase 1

In the first phase of KIRTI, there were 3,62,683 registrations across 70 centres, with close to 51,000 assessments conducted in 28 states and Union Territories. Maharashtra and Haryana led the way with the highest number of assessments, 9168 and 4820 respectively, followed by Assam with 4703 assessments.

Disciplines Evaluated

Evaluations of aspiring athletes were conducted in 11 disciplines: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Boxing, Football, Hockey, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Volleyball, Weightlifting, and Wrestling. Athletics saw the maximum assessments with 13,804 evaluations, followed by football with 13,483 assessments.

KIRTI's Ambitious Goals

KIRTI aims to conduct 20 lakh assessments across the country throughout the year to identify talent through notified Talent Assessment Centres. This large-scale scouting and assessment program is a first in India and comes at a time when the nation aims to be among the top 10 sports nations in the world by 2036 and among the top five by 2047.

Transparent Selection Methodology

KIRTI’s athlete-centric program stands out with its transparent selection methodology based on Information Technology. Data analytics and Artificial Intelligence are being used to predict the sporting potential of aspiring athletes.

Minister's Remarks

Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya is expected to highlight the importance of this initiative in nurturing the next generation of athletes and propelling India towards its goal of becoming a global sports powerhouse. His address will likely focus on the government's commitment to providing the necessary infrastructure, resources, and support to young talent across the country.

The inauguration of Phase 2 marks a significant step forward in the Khelo India initiative, promising to bring sports closer to every child in India and fostering a culture of excellence and participation in sports at the grassroots level.