India Targets Top 5 in 2036 Olympics, Govt Kicks Off Mega Prep: Amit Shah
- Union Home Minister Amit Shah announced a systematic plan to boost sports in India, including ?50,000 monthly assistance to 3,000 athletes under the TOPS scheme, aiming for a top-five Olympic finish in 2036.
- India is preparing to bid for the 2036 Olympics, with bids already submitted for the Commonwealth and Asian Games, alongside a push to make sports a way of life across communities, including police and fire forces.
- Shah praised the Indian team for winning 613 medals at the 21st World Police and Fire Games and set a target of 3 medals per police unit, with the 2029 edition to be hosted in Gujarat.
Pessimistically assuming that India would rank among top five in the medal count of 2036 Olympics, Union Home Minister Amit Shah revealed that the government is making preparations for that Olympics by offering a monthly assistance of Rs 50,000 to about 3,000 sportspersons and is formulating a elaborate systematic plan for it.
Speaking at a function where the Indian team taking part in the 21st World Police and Fire Games-2025 were felicitated, Shah, referring to the progress made by India, mentioned that India is soon to bid for the hosting of the 2036 Olympics and has already bid for the Commonwealth Games and once again bid to host the Asian Games.
He added that the aim is to make sports a natural way of life for the people and various sections of the nation, including the police and fire brigade.
"A lot of new sports infrastructure have been created. Under the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme), approximately 3,000 athletes are being funded with a monthly allowance of Rs 50,000 to train for the 2036 Olympic Games", he said. He added that sports has been given a lot of importance in the past 10 years under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Shah added that the Fit India Movement has also helped the process of selecting the athletes improve positively, and there has been a three times increase in the medals won in the Olympics, Paralympics and Asian Games. Victory and defeat are the cycle of life and having the target to win, preparing to win should be the 'nature' of everyone and winning should be the habit, he added.
The home minister added that people who develop the habit of winning always excel. Shah said the Modi government is making plans to take sports to all villages. Selection and training of children of all age groups in each sport are being done scientifically, he said.
Shah opined that the daily routine of every police officer should be such that the day starts with a procession with subordinates in the morning and concludes with sports in the evening. "If all police personnel form a habit of playing sports regularly, then not only will it ease stress, but work will also become better quality", he said.
The home minister added that all police units that are members of the 'All India Police Sports Control Board' must target a minimum of three medals per unit.
"If we are able to do this, the record you have achieved this year will be bettered by you at the World Police and Fire Games to be organized in Gujarat in 2029", he added. He mentioned that the achievement of the police officers who joined the World Police and Fire Games 2025 must be celebrated and the public must also be given correct information regarding it.
Shah added that just as Arjuna was able to see only his target the bird's eye in the same way, all police personnel and sportsmen associated with sports need to fix their eyes on the World Police and Fire Games 2029 and progress. The games are to be organized in 2029 in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Kevadia, he stated.
The home minister added that as India goes forward on the international sports front, the sportspersons of the nation need to perform in a manner that fuels global debates about the huge capability of sports in India.
He expressed complete confidence that India will be one of the top five medal-winning nations in the 2036 Olympics.Shah added the suggested National Sports Bill makes a provision for the recognition of police forces at the state level, whereby each police force will be able to represent itself as a unit in the National Games.
The Union home ministry last year initiated various measures such as recruitment rule modifications for talent search, creation of 25 outdoor sports units in each force and a combined team of Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), he added.
The home minister was delighted that the Indian team had bagged 613 medals at the 21st World Police and Fire Games and wished the police and fire services team for their great performance and for making the nation proud. Sports must be a way of life, he opined, and a child who doesn't play gets disheartened by loss, and a child who doesn't decide to win after having lost never acquires the winning habit.
"One place only to learn the ground, the playing field and it is on the playing field that the mindset of accepting defeat and the desire to gain victory are learned", he said, adding step by step this mindset should develop in our youth.
