A Comprehensive Look at Talent Identification and Development Programs by the Sports Authority of India (SAI)

 

Sports Authority of India (SAI) was set up in 1984 to carry forward the legacy of the IXth Asian Games held in New Delhi in 1982 under the Department of Sports. SAl has been entrusted with the twin objectives of promoting sports and achieving sporting excellence at the national and international level. SAI was set up as a Society registered of Societies Act, 1860 in pursuance of the Resolution No. 1-1/83/SAI dated 25th January 1984 of the Department of Sports, Govt. of India with the objective of promotion of Sports and Games as detailed in the Resolution. SAI has played a significant role in shaping India’s sports development by providing training to elite athletes and at the same time operating a number of schemes for the identification and development of young talent. The schemes are being implemented through various regional centres and training centres of SAI spread throughout the country. In addition to that, a number of academic programmes in physical education and sports are also offered by SAI.

This report analyses the gender distribution among students across various regions, highlighting the disparity between the number of boys and girls. It provides a breakdown of the data by region and offers some potential areas for further exploration.

NATIONAL SPORTS TALENT CONTEST (NSTC) SCHEME

The dataset consists of a total of 273 students, of which 223 (81.7%) are boys and 50 (18.3%) are girls. This represents a significant imbalance, with boys outnumbering girls by a ratio of approximately 4.4 to 1. The highest enrolment is observed in RC Gandhinagar, with 86 boys and 39 girls. This highlights a concerning disparity in the number of boys and girls enrolled in the program.

INDIGENOUS GAMES AND MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOLS (IGMA)

The analysed data reveals a concerning imbalance. With a total of 133 students, 76 are boys, leaving only 57 as girls. The highest enrolment is observed in LNCPE Kerala, with 27 boys and 28 girls. This reveals a significant gender disparity in student enrolment, with a substantial imbalance favouring boys.

ADOPTED AKHARAS

The total enrolment across all reported locations is 670 students, of which 551 are boys and 119 are girls. This translates to a ratio of approximately 4.6 boys to every 1 girl. The highest enrolment is observed in RC Mumbai, with 217 boys and 33 girls, reflecting a similar 4.6:1 ratio. The provided data indicates a significant imbalance in favour of male enrolment.

As a grand total SAI has 9225 athletes including residential and non-residential athletes out of which 5681 (61%) are boys and 3544(39%) are girls.