3 min readJun 4, 2026 04:19 PM IST
The Sports Ministry is set to open bids for the conceptualisation of a sports city at the Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium complex in the national capital.
“We will open the bid for conceptualisation in two weeks. First, a transaction advisor will be hired. After that, the detailed project proposals will be evaluated,” a source close to development said. While there is no concrete timeline for the construction of the Sports City, it is believed that work could gather pace once the right bidder is identified.
In November 2025, the ministry had decided to dismantle the current JLN Stadium to pave the way for a sports city that will house venues for all the major Olympic disciplines, along with residential facilities for athletes. The concept will be inspired by a similar model built in Doha.
The JLN Stadium was originally built for the 1982 Asian Games. Ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the facility got a Rs 961-crore makeover, and recently, before the World Para Athletics championship, a further Rs 50 crore was spent for upgradation.
NCAB formation
The ministry is also planning to create a National Coach Accreditation Board (NCAB) to standardise coaching quality in the country. Acting on the Pullela Gopichand-led Task Force’s recommendation, the ministry will also create a Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) for coaches and NCAB as the apex body for their education, accreditation and governance.
In a media interaction on Thursday, sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya flagged the lack of quality coaches and inefficient use of sports science. “There is a lack of quality coaching ecosystem, and we are also not using sports science optimally as coaches are reluctant in implementing the suggestions,” he said.
He also flagged the vacant coaching positions in the Sports Authority of India. “There are close to 750 vacant coaching positions in SAI. We want to fill them by the end of the year. 250 vacancies have been filled so far; we will fill the others also,” he said.
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HATC in Shillong
Recently, the ministry announced a Rs 150 crore High Altitude Training Centre (HATC) in Shillong, Meghalaya.
“The Centre will support physiological adaptation, recovery optimisation, and acclimatisation for high-altitude competition. Its benefits will span athletics, swimming, rowing, cycling, boxing and wrestling, through improved endurance, faster recovery and sustained intensity,” Mandaviya said.
The HATC in Shillong, which is being set up at an existing SAI centre, can accommodate 450 athletes at a time. The new facility would include a dedicated sports science building, an athletes’ residential complex, an indoor heated swimming pool and natural training trails.
This will be the second SAI training centre dedicated to high altitude training, with Shilaroo in Himachal Pradesh being the other one.
