Sports as a People's Movement
A Draft National Sports Policy, 2024 was recently made available for public feedback by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India.
I've put together a brief video summary of its structure and approach.
One aspect stood out to me, and this was the section on 'Sports - A People's Movement'.
Here's an extract from the section:
Sports can transform into a powerful people's movement by addressing key aspects of physical and mental well-being while serving as a major leisure and entertainment activity. Prioritizing physical health through sports improves overall fitness, reduces healthcare costs, and promotes a healthier lifestyle. Mental health benefits are also significant, as regular physical activity can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, while fostering a sense of community and belonging. Additionally, sports offer a valuable source of leisure and entertainment, enriching lives and enhancing quality of life.
This is quite a shift in approach. Previous formulations of our sports policies primarily used 'talent' as the hook for nation building - the role of government was seen as finding, supporting and rewarding athletes who could deliver national glory to raise the worth of an aspiring India. From broad basing of sports to integrating sports and education, the focus was on talent.
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The 2024 draft's formulation is in line with the Sports Minister's missive on National Sports Day in which he called upon all citizens to participate in outdoor sports for at least one hour.
This approach of seeing sports as a people's movement is a much more confident, inward looking approach to nation building - recognising the role policy can play in creating and fostering a climate in which every Indian is playing and active. Rather than bystanders, it sees us all as active participants in the nation building process.
That sports and physical activity (SAPA) can add value to nation building is indisputable. Read this recent Dalberg-Sports and Society Accelerator report that evaluated the scale of the socio-economic opportunity (and also looked at the current state of play and the challenges average Indians face in their SAPA journeys).
What do you think the government can do to catalyse sports as a people's movement? What can each of us do?
Can we make this a movement?
A movement of movement.
India, with its vast population of over 1.4 billion people, faces a critical public health challenge. Increasing urbanization, technology-driven lifestyles, and lack of access to fitness spaces have contributed to a surge in lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Amid this, the idea of a daily routine that promotes fitness has become an urgent need. We need something that everyone adopt in their daily lifestyle, fitness should not be luxury but it must be necessity.