What Khelo India does

Khelo India is a national government programme for sports development in India, launched in 2018 and implemented by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India. The programme operates across 12 verticals, spanning grassroots talent identification, annual multi-sport competitions, training infrastructure, and financial support to athletes. It serves a wide beneficiary base including school children, university students, identified talented athletes, women athletes, para athletes, tribal communities, and specialized sports participants across 36 states and union territories.

The programme's product surface includes annual competitive events (Khelo India Youth Games, University Games, Para Games, Winter Games, Beach Games, Water Sports Festival, and Tribal Games), training infrastructure (1,067 Khelo India Centres across 768 districts and 35 State Centres of Excellence), talent identification systems (KIRTI with 187,921 assessments across 174 centres), and a centralized digital ecosystem (Khelo India Dashboard, Games Management System, and mobile applications on iOS and Android). It also operates the FIT India movement, which has recorded 23.68 Crore event participations and distributed 450,445 FIT India School Flags. Integrations include DigiLocker for digital certificates, MyBharat platform, and SAI networks.

Khelo India is not a commercial entity and has no revenue model in the conventional sense. It is funded entirely through Government of India budget allocations channelled through the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, with disbursements to athletes (INR 5 lakh per annum for up to 8 years to identified athletes, Rs 79 crore in Out of Pocket Allowances to 2,783 athletes), accredited academies (267 institutions), and State Centres of Excellence (Rs 67.32 crore sanctioned for six KISCEs over four years). The programme is distributed via a direct government-to-athlete delivery model through state governments, KICs, KISCEs, KIAAs, and annual competition events, reaching 23,080 supported athletes and over 51,017 cumulative game participants.

Name

Khelo India

Legal name

Khelo India - National Programme for Development of Sports (Government of India, Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports)

Website

https://kheloindia.gov.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Khelo India is India's national government programme for sports development, launched in 2018 and implemented by the Sports Authority of India. It runs 12 verticals including multi-sport competitions, training centres, talent identification, and financial support for athletes across 36 states and union territories.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Sports Development Programme

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Spectator Sports (7112)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Amateur & Grassroots Sport Associations (Community/Youth Governing Orgs) (MPAKAFAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Youth & Scholastic Sports Organizations (K–12, AAU, Club Leagues) (MPAKACAF), Olympic & Multi-Sport Governing Bodies (IOC/IPC, Continental Games Federations) (MPAKAFAA), Physical Education (PE) & Fitness Programs (EDAJAJAC)

Keywords

• National sports development
• Athlete talent identification
• Grassroots sports training
• Multi-sport national games
• Government sports funding

Headquarters

HQ city

New Delhi

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Others, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Government Funding Allocation: Khelo India receives funding from the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports for implementing the programme across multiple verticals including talent development, infrastructure, and competitions. Annual financial assistance of INR 5 lakh per annum for 8 years is provided to talented athletes identified in priority sports disciplines.
2. Academy Support Funding: Financial support provided to Khelo India Accredited Academies (KIAAs), Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs), and National/Regional/State Sports Academies. Rs 67.32 crore sanctioned for six KISCEs for four years.
3. Out of Pocket Allowance to Athletes: Rs 79 crore released as Out of Pocket Allowance to 2,783 Khelo India Athletes for training and competition expenses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Khelo India is a national sports development programme of the Government of India that organizes multi-sport national competitions (Youth Games, University Games, Para Games, Winter Games, Beach Games, Water Sports Festival, Tribal Games), operates 1,067 grassroots training centres and 35 State Centres of Excellence across the country, and provides annual financial assistance of INR 5 lakh for 8 years to identified talented athletes. The programme also identifies sporting talent through KIRTI assessments and supports accredited academies.

Product overview

Khelo India is India's national programme for sports development, implemented by the Sports Authority of India under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. The programme operates as a platform-plus-services model, combining competitive event products (Khelo India Youth Games, University Games, Para Games, Winter Games, Beach Games, Water Sports Festival, and Tribal Games) with training infrastructure (Khelo India Centres, State Centres of Excellence) and talent development systems (KIA Programme, KIRTI, Accredited Academies). A centralized Dashboard provides real-time programme analytics, while the Mobile App and Fit India Movement extend the ecosystem to athletes and school children. The programme spans 12 verticals including annual sports competitions, talent search, sports for women, para sports, and rural/indigenous games promotion.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FIT India: Fitness initiative under Khelo India focusing on Physical Fitness of School Going Children, FIT India events, and fitness assessments.
• KIRTI

Products and services

• Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) Annual multi-sport national competition for youth athletes (Under-17/Under-21), held across various Indian states with participation from all states and union territories. Inaugural edition held in 2018 with 3,507 athletes.
• Khelo India University Games (KIUG) Annual multi-sport competition for university students across 17+ sports disciplines, conducted across different Indian universities with medal tally rankings. First edition held in 2020.
• Khelo India Para Games (KIPG) Multi-sport competition for para athletes with disabilities, promoting inclusive sports participation across India. Launches in 2023.
• Khelo India Winter Games (KIWG) Winter sports competition featuring snow and ice sports including skiing, ice hockey, and skating, held at Gulmarg, Jammu & Kashmir. Over 1,000 athletes & officials participated in the inaugural edition.
• Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) Beach sports competition featuring coastal and water-based sports disciplines, held annually in India.
• Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) Water sports festival featuring kayaking, canoeing, and rowing competitions held annually in India. 2025 edition held.
• Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) Multi-sport competition specifically for tribal athletes, showcasing talent from tribal communities across India and preserving indigenous sports. First edition held in 2026 at Chhattisgarh.
• Khelo India Dashboard Centralized digital platform providing real-time statistics on athlete participation, medals, academies, infrastructure projects, and programme performance metrics across India.
• KIRTI (Khelo India Rising Talent Identification) Talent identification system using assessment tools and Technical Assessment Committees (TAC) to identify promising young athletes across India. 187,921 assessments have been conducted across 33 states/UTs.
• Khelo India Centres (KIC) Training centres established across 768 districts in 36 states/UTs with 41 sports disciplines, providing coaching and infrastructure to 28,214 grassroots athletes with 969 champion athletes as trainers.
• Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCE) High-performance training centres in 34 states/UTs upgraded for elite athlete development across 13 disciplines. 23 centres have received viability gap funding; Rs 67.32 crore sanctioned for six KISCEs for four years.
• Khelo India Mobile App Mobile application available on Android (Google Play Store) and iOS (App Store) for athlete management, results, and programme information dissemination.
• Fit India Movement National physical fitness initiative integrated with Khelo India, focusing on physical fitness assessment of school children with 23.68 crore event participations and 450,445 FIT India School Flags distributed.
• Khelo India Athletes (KIA) Programme Talent identification and development programme providing annual financial assistance of INR 5 lakh per annum for 8 years to promising athletes in priority sports disciplines. 23,080 athletes supported through the programme.
• Khelo India Accredited Academies (KIAA) Accreditation programme for private and institutional sports academies meeting Khelo India standards for training quality and infrastructure. 267 academies supported across various sports disciplines.

Quantifiable outcome

• 51,017 total participation in Khelo India Games
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda Ashram, BastarminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2026Football talent pipeline for Chhattisgarh, with 12-13 players from its setup featuring in Khelo India Tribal Games. Established in 1986 as a residential institution for tribal upliftment, houses over 2,700 children.
• Sports Authority of India (SAI)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerSAI is the primary implementing agency for the Khelo India programme. All verticals including State Level Khelo India Centres, Annual Sports Competitions, Talent Search and Development, Sports for Women, Support to National/Regional/State Sports Academies are implemented by SAI.
• Ministry of Youth Affairs & SportscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerThe Ministry oversees Play Field Development, Utilisation and Creation/Upgradation of Sports Infrastructure and Sports for Peace and Development verticals of the Khelo India programme.
• Lakshmi Bai National Institute of Physical Education (LNIPE)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLNIPE implements the Community Coaching Development vertical of the Khelo India programme for training and developing sports coaches.
• Kendriya Vidyalaya SangathancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner4 Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) at Gwalior, Ghaziabad, Delhi Cantt., and Sidhi adopted as State Level Khelo India Centres in partnership with Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan. 90 students (46 boys & 44 girls) currently admitted.
• Army Public Schools (APS) and Assam Rifles Public SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner3 Army Public Schools in New Delhi and 1 Assam Rifles Public School in Shillong approved as Sports Schools. Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) Public School in Dwarka also approved.
• State GovernmentscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState governments partner with Khelo India for establishing and operating KICs and KISCEs across various states and union territories, implementing talent identification programmes, and hosting state-level competitions.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sports Authority of India (SAI): Parent implementing agency of Khelo India with overlapping mandate of athlete training, infrastructure, and national sports operations. SAI runs the National Centres of Excellence that complement Khelo India's state-level KISCEs, making it the most direct organizational peer.
• Indian Olympic Association (IOA): National Olympic Committee responsible for India's Olympic participation, athlete selection, and multi-sport federation oversight. Comparable to Khelo India in its role as a national multi-sport coordinating body, though IOA focuses on international competition rather than grassroots development.
• Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS): India's premier sports coaching and training institute headquartered in Patiala. NSNIS focuses on coach education and elite athlete development, complementing Khelo India's grassroots-to-elite pipeline and sharing government ownership under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
• National Sports Development Fund (NSDF): Government trust providing financial assistance to elite Indian athletes for international training and competition. NSDF operates at the elite tier of India's sports funding stack alongside Khelo India's Khelo India Athletes (KIA) programme, with overlapping target beneficiaries.

Broad incumbents

• UK Sport: UK government agency funding elite athlete preparation for Olympic and Paralympic Games. Functionally analogous to Khelo India as a national sports development vehicle, though UK Sport focuses on elite-tier funding rather than India's grassroots-heavy approach.
• Australian Sports Commission / AIS: Australian government's primary sports agency operating the Australian Institute of Sport for elite training and community sport programmes. Comparable scale of national sports mandate with both grassroots participation and elite pathways, making it a strong international structural peer.
• Japan Sport Council (JSC): Japanese government entity under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, administering national sports programmes and elite training centres. JSC's model of integrating school sports with national training systems parallels Khelo India's KIC/KISCE architecture.
• Sport England: Non-departmental public body distributing National Lottery and government funding for grassroots sports participation in England. Highly comparable to Khelo India in its mission of community-level sport development, though Sport England operates within a more federated governance model.
• National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA): US non-profit governing body organizing collegiate athletics across 1,100+ member institutions, with over 500,000 student-athletes. The Khelo India University Games (KIUG) is conceptually modeled after NCAA's role as a university-level multi-sport competition platform.

Emerging players

• Special Olympics International: Global organization providing year-round sports training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Overlaps with Khelo India Para Games (KIPG) in its disability sports mandate and shares the inclusive sport development philosophy.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kheloindia
• Facebookfacebook.com/OfficialKheloIndia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/khelo-india-university-games

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Khelo India