India on Saturday reaffirmed its commitment to building an Atmanirbhar Bharat in the sports sector, with Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports Mansukh Mandaviya chairing the first-ever Sports Goods Manufacturing Conclave in New Delhi.
Organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, the conclave brought together representatives from NITI Aayog, Commerce Ministry, DPIIT, FICCI, CII, MSMEs and leading sports industry stakeholders to lay out a roadmap for boosting India’s sports goods manufacturing capabilities.
Atmanirbharta in Sports
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Chaired the 1st-ever Sports Goods Manufacturing Conclave in New Delhi, organised by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports.
Under PM Shri @NarendraModi ji’s leadership, Bharat is not just moving towards becoming global sporting powerhouse, but is… pic.twitter.com/sKSCXGPDj2
— Dr Mansukh Mandaviya (@mansukhmandviya) August 30, 2025
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Sector outlook and export potential
The Indian sports goods sector is valued at $4.88 billion (Rs 42,877 crore) in 2024 and is projected to expand to $6.6 billion (Rs 57,800 crore) by 2027 and Rs 87,300 crore by 2034. The industry employs more than five lakh people, largely in MSME clusters across Meerut, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Delhi-NCR.
India currently ranks as the third-largest sports goods manufacturer in Asia and the 21st largest exporter globally, with exports worth $523 million in 2023–24 to over 90 countries. While the USA, UK, Australia, Germany and France are among its biggest markets, new opportunities are opening in South Africa, UAE, Canada and Sweden.
For the first time, “Sports Goods Manufacturing” has been formally included in the Allocation of Business Rules, 1961, under the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports through a gazette notification issued earlier this week.
Calling it a landmark move, Mandaviya said, “In India, the sports ecosystem is growing at speed. We have the potential to go big and we are not dependent on anyone. Sports goods manufacturing is a priority sector for us and we have to implement this steadily.”
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‘Garv se Swadeshi’ and Atmanirbhar Bharat vision
The union minister urged industry leaders to work with the spirit of self-reliance. “Everyone has to make sure that we implement everything keeping in mind ‘Nation first’. Aatmanirbharta and the use of Swadeshi goods is the need of the hour. We must move forward with the spirit of Garv se Swadeshi. From 1 per cent global share now, we have to take it to 25 per cent by 2036,” he said.
Mandaviya also highlighted India’s demographic edge, noting, “India grows on its own model. With 1.4 billion people, we already have the largest market. We must walk the path of our roadmap. We will now decide policy framework based on the inputs from this conclave.”
The minister announced that a task force comprising representatives of the ministry, National Sports Federations (NSFs) and industry leaders will be set up to shape a forward-looking policy framework for sports goods manufacturing.
The conclave featured extensive deliberations on India’s strengths, opportunities and challenges in the sector, with a focus on making the country a global hub. Mandaviya stressed that the exercise was about more than just manufacturing equipment. “This is about creating a complete ecosystem that combines industry, innovation, and employment,” he noted, adding that the ultimate aim was to reinforce India’s march towards becoming both a global sporting and economic powerhouse.
(With inputs from IANS)
