Jharkhand, a state known for producing raw sporting talent, is now laying the foundation for a more structured, inclusive, and scientific approach to athlete development. With the creation of a new five-year roadmap underway, the government is shifting gears—from patchy investments to planned infrastructure, from generic training to personalised support systems. The renewed focus aims to nurture champions from every district, fuelled by upgraded facilities, international collaborations, and data-driven training. Sports Minister Sudivya Kumar said, Our mantra is clear—build sporting environments that shape talent without exhausting it. Every childs nutritional and training needs are different. A one-size-fits-all model wont work anymore. He highlighted that Jharkhand is now moving towards a scientific, individualised approach to athlete development. This includes personalised nutrition, calibrated workloads to avoid burnout, and a sharper focus on long-term progress rather than short-term gains. Sports Secretary Manoj Kumar shared that a recent high-level workshop with various national sports associations resulted in two key deliverables: a five-year action plan and an infrastructure matrix to map current gaps and future needs. Right now, the sports infrastructure in Jharkhand is lopsided, with major focus on a handful of games like hockey, football, archery, etc., while many other games lag. Our plan now is to provide infrastructure for other games as well. We are aiming for at least 4 stadiums for each of the national games, two for practice and two for events, he said. Kumar said that this can be done by converting some existing stadiums for other sports. For example, we can convert a few badminton courts for other indoor games like fencing, wrestling, or swimming, he said. The state government is also taking a district-level approach where the top 8-9 sports are being identified in each district. Once the identification is done, sports complexes will be developed in each district, catering to the requirements of the discipline selected. The district sports officers have already been directed to identify the sports and land for the sports complex in their respective districts. If there are existing stadiums in districts, they will be developed; otherwise, new complexes will be constructed, Kumar said. The aim is to cover all the districts in the next 4-5 years, he added. A key highlight of Jharkhands new sports vision is the High-Performance Centre (HPC), set to be one of the most advanced in India. With an investment of ₹20 crore in cutting-edge European equipment—including gravity-free treadmills, cryotherapy units, and advanced injury rehabilitation tools—the centre will help athletes prevent and recover from injuries while enhancing performance. Jharkhand is the 5th state in the country to construct the HPC. Player profiling has already begun, and the HPC will be officially inaugurated soon, Kumar said. Additionally, the state is coming up with a policy for coaches, which will help in better streamlining coach recruitment and provide better training for the players. The direct recruitment rules are also in the pipeline, which propose that medallists are directly recruited to government jobs. For example, if an athlete is an Olympic medallist, he or she can be directly recruited as a DSP or a CEO. We are also looking at a pension plan for medallists who are above 40 years of age and do not have a job, the sports secretary said. The state coaches may also soon be getting international level training. Following the recent visit of Chief Minister Hemant Soren to Barcelona, Jharkhand may soon have Spanish coaches train local players. We had the option to send our players to Spain or bring international coaches here. We chose the latter for greater reach and long-term capacity-building, sports minister Sudivya Kumar said.

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