On Thursday, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya issued a firm directive to National Sports Federations (NSFs), emphasizing the necessity for an unwavering commitment to an “athlete-centric” model. He called for an end to factionalism and nepotism within these organizations, highlighting that unity and transparency are vital for India’s aspirations to host the 2036 Olympics.

During a formal event attended by representatives from 40 NSFs to launch a streamlined digital record-keeping system via Digilocker—a cloud-based platform designed for the storage, sharing, and verification of documents and certificates—the minister urged federations to refine their operations.

“I prefer not to interfere in the affairs of NSFs, but that doesn’t exempt them from adhering to the government’s athlete-centric philosophy,” Mandaviya asserted, also mentioning that athletes like Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Mirabai Chanu and hockey player Jarmanpreet Singh were present at the ceremony.

“I have engaged with various factions across multiple federations and have urged them to collaborate for the benefit of athletes. Their well-being is compromised when internal conflicts arise. I will not tolerate this. NSFs must take accountability,” he added.

His comments seemed directed at ongoing power struggles in federations for sports such as boxing, football, wrestling, and equestrian, which have hindered athlete interests. Currently, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) is operating under an ad-hoc committee, while legal issues plague the governance of football and equestrian. The Wrestling Federation recently had its suspension lifted by the sports ministry after resolving violations of the sports code.

Mandaviya reassured the NSFs of comprehensive infrastructural and financial support, including provisions for office space in the national capital, but firmly warned against the persistence of nepotism. “You will receive all necessary support from the ministry. As I said before, office space is available—18 rooms at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium is ready for your use. All you need to do is apply,” he stated.

“However, nepotism is unacceptable. Sports administration cannot function in that manner. I recently encountered an official who had listed his peon as his secretary. This is not how it should be done,” he remarked.

He urged all NSFs to present a united front as India aims to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games and has submitted a letter of intent to bid for the 2036 Olympics, stressing the importance of unity on international platforms.

Mandaviya announced that it will be mandatory for all sports federations to digitize certificates and essential documents of athletes within the next year. Digilocker, developed by the Digital India Corporation under the Ministry of Electronics and IT, aims to ensure the seamless storage and verification of these documents.

Originally launched last year by Mandaviya’s predecessor Anurag Thakur, the initiative had set a deadline for full digitization early this year. Given the minimal progress made, Mandaviya insisted that all past certificates must be digitized by year’s end, even at the district level.

He recounted an experience where a young athlete, tearfully shared that she missed a job opportunity due to an unverifiable certificate from the national federation. “This should never happen again. I want to make it clear that using Digilocker is non-negotiable. I won’t permit exploitation,” he declared.

Olympic medallist Chanu expressed her enthusiasm for the new technology, believing it will greatly assist athletes who face logistical challenges when traveling abroad. “We often need our certificates for training and competitions but can’t always travel with them. Digilocker alleviates these issues, especially when we’re far from home,” she said.

Mandaviya also expressed his desire for the digitization process to be so efficient that Olympic medalists shouldn’t have to fill out application forms to receive financial rewards for their achievements. “I’ve heard they must submit applications, and I wonder, why? The world has witnessed their victories. They should simply come to my office and leave with their prize money already in their accounts. We need reform,” he emphasized.