Dr. Mandaviya Leads Meeting to Initiate Preparations for the 2028 Olympics

New Delhi, Jan 7 (NationPress) Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya conducted the 152nd meeting of the Mission Olympic Cell (MOC) on Tuesday at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium. The meeting was attended by distinguished athletes, administrators, and coaches. A significant topic discussed was the orientation of members for the newly established MOC and the strategic planning for Los Angeles 2028 aimed at boosting India’s Olympic medal tally.

The Sports Minister highlighted the importance of adopting a 360-degree strategy to enhance the Indian sports ecosystem through unified efforts from National Sports Federations (NSFs), state governments, corporate entities, public sector units (PSUs), and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

“This is a crucial platform for me; numerous initiatives have already begun based on your suggestions. Achieving success in the Olympics is not a task that can be accomplished in just a year or six months. It necessitates early preparation. India's sports infrastructure and funding are now on par with nations excelling on the global stage. Our Prime Minister is deeply committed to transforming India into a sports superpower. Therefore, it is vital for all stakeholders to collaborate and advance our country,” said Dr. Mandaviya during the two-hour session.

Attendees included Olympic medallist Gagan Narang, Pullela Gopichand (Vice-president, Badminton Association of India), Viren Rasquinha (Olympic Gold Quest), Aparna Popat, Dronacharya awardee, para coach Dr. Satyapal Singh, Arjuna awardee Prashanti Singh, sports psychologist Gayatri Madkekar, Kamlesh Mehta (Secretary General, Table Tennis Federation of India), Cyrus Poncha (Secretary General, Squash Rackets Federation of India), Deepthi Bopaiah (GoSports Foundation), Siddharth Shanker (Reliance Foundation), Manisha Malhotra (JSW Sports), Gautam Vadehra (Joint Secretary, Petroleum Sports Promotion Board), and Prem Lochab (Railway Sports Promotion Board), along with officials from the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

Secretary (Sports) Sujata Chaturvedi welcomed the newly formed MOC members, followed by an overview of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme and the meeting's goals presented by newly appointed CEO Nachhatar Singh Johal.

Key discussion points included establishing robust talent identification criteria for the Development Group for Brisbane 2032, setting short, medium, and long-term objectives for athletes within TOPS, monitoring progress and actual performance against the established targets, approving budgetary needs for customized training for individuals and teams, and identifying high-performance experts to address athletes' training requirements.