Medals aren’t won by talent alone: Abhinav Bindra-led panel flags deep gaps in India’s sports system, presents blueprint for Olympic future

It’s often been said that India’s athletes have won Olympic medals in spite of the system, not because of it. Now, with India aggressively bidding for the 2036 Olympics, a task force headed by Beijing Games gold medallist Abhinav Bindra, is determined to rewrite that script.

It has highlighted critical gaps in Indian sports administration in a 170-page report to the Government: ad-hoc decision making, weak institutional continuity, and an absence of long-term professionalism within the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and state sports departments due to “generalist civil servants” lacking sports-specific expertise.

Set up by the Sports Ministry in August, the task force has also made key recommendations to fix the system. “Building strong systems and professional capacity is not separate from the goal of winning medals — it is central to it. Medals are not produced by talent alone,” Bindra told The Indian Express.

“They are produced by ecosystems, which include athlete pathways, coaching, education, sports science competition planning, governance standards, integrity frameworks and administrative competence. Countries that perform consistently at the Olympics do so because they have invested patiently in these systems and in the people who run them,” Bindra said.

“If one had to identify the most essential step that everything else depends on, it would be the professionalisation of sports administration through a clear national framework for capability, accountability, and career progression,” the ace shooter said.

The report has detailed a clear roadmap: set up a National Council for Sports Education and Capacity Building (NCSECB) under the Sports Ministry “to regulate, accredit, and certify sports administration training”.

“Building strong systems and professional capacity is not separate from the goal of winning medals — it is central to it. Medals are not produced by talent alone,” Bindra told The Indian Express. (Express Photo)

It has recommended India-specific curriculum development to train future leaders, dual career pathways for athletes to transition into administrative roles, global partnership and exposure for existing administrators, and integration of sports administration in IAS and state cadre programmes.

At the same time, the report by the nine-member task force, which also includes World Athletics vice-president Adille Sumariwalla, has also identified a number of stress points, underlining “over-centralisation” of authority in national federations as a key concern.

Additionally, it has cited the examples of Zimbabwean swimmer Kirsty Coventry, who became the first woman president of the International Olympic Committee earlier this year, and World Athletics chief Sebastien Coe, to flag the lack of dual career pathways for Indian athletes, “resulting in them retiring without relevant skills in administration, leadership or governance”.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday about the task force’s report, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, “Medals don’t only come with good athletes but also good governance and administration. We formed this task force to figure out a road map that can improve the sports governance in India… The gaps found by the committee and the roadmap suggested will be implemented along with the National Sports Governance Act.”

Apart from the lack of subject experts in SAI and state departments, the report has highlighted a lack of coordination among different stakeholders, weak policy execution and unclear job roles.

“Coordination between SAI, National Sports Federations (NSFs), and State Departments is limited and fragmented. Overlapping roles, duplication of functions, and unclear accountability frameworks reduce efficiency and create systemic bottlenecks,” the report stated while noting that SAI is understaffed — a concern earlier flagged by a Parliamentary Committee this year.

Besides, the report pointed out that over-centralisation of authority in NSFs has led to stunted leadership development. “In many NSFs, the President exercises disproportionate control over operations, finance, and appointments. This contrasts sharply with global norms, where governance and execution are clearly separated. Combined with limited transparency, this leads to low accountability and stunted leadership development. Elected office bearers often take on operational responsibilities without formal training in sports management,” the report said.

The report also pointed out the stark difference between governance practices in Indian federations and the global benchmark, while also addressing the gap in the country’s education system related to sports. “Students lack ‘ecosystem literacy’, the ability to navigate and operate effectively within India’s governance framework essential for careers in federations, policy-making, and athlete development,” the report stated.

“The report lays out a broad and interconnected reform agenda because the challenges in Indian sport are themselves interconnected. Governance gaps, uneven institutional capability, limited continuity across cycles, and an overdependence on individuals rather than institutions all reinforce one another,” Bindra told this newspaper.

“If India wants occasional sporting success, it can focus only on elite athletes, but if the country wants lasting success, it must build systems around them.”