Mumbai, 30th August 2025:
The Sports Authority of India (SAI), Regional Centre Mumbai, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, successfully hosted the National Sports Day Conclave 2025 at its Kandivali campus. The event was organized to mark the birth anniversary of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand and to celebrate the spirit of sportsmanship, fitness, and youth development in India.
The conclave inaugural ceremony featured guests like Shri Adille Sumariwalla, Vice President of World Athletics and President of the Athletics Federation of India, Shri Sanjay Bhatia (IAS Retd.), Ms. Ayesha Shroff (Founder, MFN MMA & MMA Matrix Gym), Shri Tahir Raj Bhasin (Indian Film Actor), Shri Pandurang Chate (IRS, Regional Director – I/c, SAI RC Mumbai), and other eminent personalities from sports, cinema, and public life.
Highlights of the Conclave
Panel Discussion 1: “Shaping the Future of Indian Sport: National Sports Governance Act & Khelo Bharat Niti”
Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports, Honourable Honourable Smt. Raksha Khadse, in her keynote intervention, called upon state governments to incorporate ecosystems of high performance in line with the gold standards established under the Khelo India initiative.
She emphasized the need for states to rigorously adopt high-performance practices, strengthen sports science integration, and prepare athletes through a systematic approach as envisioned in the forthcoming Khelo Bharat Niti.
“Khelo India has created a framework that is now globally benchmarked. But for India to maximize its sporting potential, state-level adoption and execution is equally critical. States must partner with private stakeholders, educational institutions, and local communities to ensure a strong talent pipeline. Only then can we give our athletes the best coaching, infrastructure, and scientific support needed to make India a consistent global performer.” – Honourable Smt. Raksha Khadse
She also reiterated that the National Sports Governance Act, Khelo Bharat Niti, and Khelo India framework together provide a roadmap for India’s aspirations to host the 2036 Olympics and to become a top five sporting nation by 2047.
Panel Discussion 2: “Sports and Education: Building Future Careers, Skills, and Opportunities”
Panellists included Shri V. Ramanadha Reddy (Additional Commissioner, CGST Mumbai Zone), Shri Nilesh Kulkarni (Founder & Director, IISM & Former Indian Cricketer), Shri Pradeep Srikrishnan Gandhe (Vice President, Maharashtra Olympic Association), Dr. Nivedita Shreyans (Director, PR & Corporate Communication, Pillai Group of Institutions), and Olympian wrestler Shri Narsingh Yadav.
The session highlighted the need to integrate sports with education, promote skill development, and build viable career pathways for India’s youth.
Closing Ceremony
The conclave concluded in the august presence of the Chief Guest, Honourable Honourable Honourable Smt. Raksha Khadse. The closing ceremony featured captivating sports demonstrations, including Artistic Yoga and wrestling bouts, as well as the felicitation of outstanding athletes, including Khelo India accredited and NCOE Mumbai athletes who achieved international success.
Prizes were awarded to winners of the essay, debate, and poster competitions conducted as part of the National Sports Day celebrations at SAI RC Mumbai.
Smt. Raksha Khadse also highlighted that National Sports Day 2025, led by the Fit India Mission, has evolved into a Jan Andolan, bringing together schools, colleges, universities, MY Bharat, NSS, RWAs, Panchayats, corporates, PSUs, IOA, PCI, NSFs, and lakhs of community groups to create a nationwide festival of fitness under the theme “Ek Ghanta, Khel ke Maidan Main”.
She stressed that the Khelo Bharat Niti 2025 will play a transformative role in enabling the sports sector to contribute to the vision of Viksit Bharat by 2047. The Government of India, she said, is committed to developing sports culture, infrastructure, start-ups, and sports equipment manufacturing while also leveraging the soft power of sports to boost India’s global image.
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