Sports · Khelo India

For a country of its size, India long under-performed at global sport. Two initiatives set out to change that: the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) from 2014, which funds and supports the training of elite medal prospects, and Khelo India from 2018, which builds sport from the school and community level and runs the Khelo India Games for young athletes.

The results show up on the medal table. India won a best-ever 7 medals at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, headlined by Neeraj Chopra's javelin gold; crossed 100 medals for the first time at an Asian Games (107 at Hangzhou 2023); and won a record 29 Paralympic medals at Paris 2024. Asian Games medals rose steadily from 57 (2014) to 70 (2018) to 107 (2023).

India's sports push works as a pipeline from playground to podium. At the base, Khelo India funds school and university games, talent scouting and local sports infrastructure to widen participation. At the top, the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) hand-picks elite athletes and funds their training, coaching, equipment and foreign exposure — trying to convert a huge population into medals by backing proven talent intensively.

The strategy has shown results — India won its best-ever 7 medals at Tokyo 2020 (including Neeraj Chopra's historic javelin gold) and 6 at Paris 2024 — and Khelo India centres now dot the country. The long game is broadening the base — India's medal tally is still tiny for its size, so the task is deeper grassroots participation, better facilities and coaching in more sports, and building a genuine sporting culture, not just chasing a handful of stars.

The long game is broadening the base — India's medals are concentrated in a few disciplines, so spreading grassroots facilities beyond cities is how a huge young population turns into sustained Olympic depth.

57 → 107 Asian Games medals (2014→2023). 7 Olympic medals (Tokyo 2020, best-ever). 29 Paralympic medals (Paris 2024, record). TOPS + Khelo India. Sources: Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, IOA.