New Delhi, July 10 -- On 1 July 2025, the Union cabinet approved the National Sports Policy 2025 (NSP 2025). The policy's ambitious five-pillar, whole-of-ecosystem approach aims to place sports on the front-line of national development. This prompts a double-headed question: What can sports do for India and what can India do for sports?

From two pillars to five: 'Medals' is the word most likely to be evoked by any mention of sports and the NSP 2001 captured this limited imagination of the pursuit. Grassroots sports for talent identification and international success were its two pillars. The NSP 2025 seeks to reframe sports as a cornerstone of nation building across five pillars: excellence, social development, economic growth, mass part...