**Executive Summary**
This document is the answer provided by the Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports to the Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 234, regarding coaches and athletes in Sports Authority of India (SAI) centres, set to be answered on 02.02.2026. It details the number of coaches, vacancies, athletes, and plans to enhance coaching support. Annexures provide state-wise breakdowns and other relevant information.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Coaches:**
* Total of 788 coaches currently appointed under SAI: 387 regular and 401 on contract/deputation (as of date).
* Coaching Cadre is based on all India transfer posting basis.
* Vacancies exist, with 323 Assistant Coach posts notified for direct recruitment.
* Details of vacancies and coaches expected to retire in the next 3 years are provided in Annexures II and III, respectively.
* **Athletes:**
* Details of athletes enrolled in SAI Centres are provided in Annexure IV.
* State/UT-wise (specifically district-wise for Uttar Pradesh) details are provided in Annexure V.
* **Government Initiatives:**
* The Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports supports State/UT Governments through Sports Promotional Schemes implemented by SAI, focusing on identifying and nurturing talented sportspersons. These schemes include:
* National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs)
* SAI Training Centers (STCs)
* Extension Centre of STC
* National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC) (including Akharas, IGMA)
* Athletes under these schemes receive financial support, including expert coaches, sports equipment, boarding, lodging, and medical/insurance.
* Measures are intended to increase athletes participation across various sports disciplines.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder:** Sports Authority of India (SAI)
* **Impact:** Responsible for implementing Sports Promotional Schemes and identifying talented athletes.
* **Action Required:** Continue to implement the listed Sports Promotional Schemes and nurture talented sportspersons to excel at national and international levels.
**Stakeholder:** State/UT Governments
* **Impact:** Responsible for the promotion of sports within their respective State/UT.
* **Action Required:** Collaborate with the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports and SAI to enhance sports development.
**Stakeholder:** Coaches
* **Impact:** Potential for transfers, recruitment, and retirement in the next three years.
* **Action Required:** Coaches going to retire need to make necessary arrangements.
**Stakeholder:** Athletes
* **Impact:** Beneficiaries of Sports Promotional Schemes, receiving financial support and coaching.
* **Action Required:** Actively participate in available schemes and strive to excel in sports disciplines.
Key Entities Referenced
Sports Authority of India (SAI): The agency responsible for the appointment and management of coaches and athletes, and the implementation of sports schemes.
Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports: The government ministry responsible for promoting sports in India and answering questions related to coaches and athletes.
National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs): A sports promotion scheme implemented by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports through SAI.
SAI Training Centers (STCs): A sports promotion scheme implemented by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports through SAI.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in India specifically mentioned for athlete enrollment details and details of SAI schemes.
Government of India
Ministry Of Youth Affairs & Sports
Department of Sports
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 234
TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.02.2026
Coaches and Athletes in SAI Centres
234. SHRI PUSHPENDRA SAROJ:
ADV PRIYA SAROJ:
Will the Minister of YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS be pleased to state:
(a) the details of number of coaches currently appointed under the
Sports Authority of India (SAI) across all its centres in the country,
State/UT-wise;
(b) the details of number of vacancies of coaches presently existing
under SAI along with the number of coaches expected to retire in the
next two to three years, State/UT-wise;
(c) the details of number of athletes enrolled in all the SAI centres in
the country, year and State/UT-wise particularly district-wise in Uttar
Pradesh; and
(d) the details of the plans and measures being undertaken by the
Government to increase the number of qualified coaches and athletes
to ensure adequate coaching support across various disciplines and
training centres in the country?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS & SPORTS
[DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA]
(a) As of date, there are a total of 788 coaches, comprising 387
regular coaches and 401 coaches on contract or deputation. The
details are provided at Annexure – I.
Page 1 of 14(b) The details of number of vacancies of coaches presently existing
under the Sports Authority of India (SAI) are provided at Annexure –
II.
Further, the Coaching Cadre is based on all India transfer posting
basis. However, as per present deployment, the details of the
coaches going to retire in next 3 years are provided at Annexure – III.
(c) The details of number of athletes enrolled in all the SAI Centres in
the country is provided at Annexure-IV. The details of number of
athletes in the State of Uttar Pradesh district wise are provided at
Annexure-V.
(d) “Sports” being a State subject, promotion of sports in a State/UT
is the responsibility of the respective State/UT Governments.
However, to support the efforts of State Governments, Ministry of
Youth Affairs & Sports is implementing the following Sports
Promotional Schemes across the country through SAI to identify
talented sportspersons in the various age groups and nurture them to
excel at national and international levels:
National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs)
SAI Training Centers (STCs)
Extension Centre of STC
National Sports Talent Contest (NSTC)
(its Sub-Schemes – Akharas, IGMA)
These athletes are provided financial support in the form of expert
coaches, sports equipment, scientific support, boarding and lodging,
sports kit, competition exposure, educational expenses, medical/
insurance and stipend as per the approved scheme norms.
These measures are intended to increase the participation of
athletes across various sports disciplines.
Apart from above, in Coaching Cadre, SAI has a sanctioned strength
of 1,524 posts, out of which 788 are presently in position. Further,
323 posts in the grade of Assistant Coach have been notified for
recruitment through the Direct Recruitment mode.
*****
Page 2 of 14ANNEXURE-I
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (A) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 234 FOR 02.02.2026 ASKED BY SHRI
PUSHPENDRA SAROJ AND ADV PRIYA SAROJ REGARDING
‘COACHES AND ATHLETES IN SAI CENTRES’.
No. of Coaches State Wise as on date
Name of State/UT No. of Coaches
Andaman & Nicobar 10
Andhra Pradesh 11
Arunachal Pradesh 13
Assam 38
Bihar 3
Chhattisgarh 6
Daman and Diu 0
Delhi 91
Goa 4
Gujarat 25
Haryana 80
Himachal 20
Jammu & Kashmir 7
Jharkhand 10
Karnataka 55
Kerala 49
Ladakh 3
Lakshadweep 2
Madhya Pradesh 42
Maharashtra 42
Manipur 38
Meghalaya 10
Mizoram 7
Nagaland 3
Odisha 17
Puducherry 8
Punjab 56
Rajasthan 11
Shillong 1
Page 3 of 14Sikkim 4
Tamilnadu 14
Telangana 11
Tripura 3
Uttar Pradesh 48
Uttarakhand 5
West Bengal 41
Grand Total 788
ANNEXURE-II
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (B) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 234 FOR 02.02.2026 ASKED BY SHRI
PUSHPENDRA SAROJ AND ADV PRIYA SAROJ REGARDING
‘COACHES AND ATHLETES IN SAI CENTRES’.
Details of Number of Vacancies in Coaching Cadre
Sanctioned Vacancy
S.N. Grade In Position
Strength Position*
1 HPC 50 8 42
2 Chief Coach 100 52 48
3 Senior Coach 200 115 85
4 Coach 400 306 94
Assistant
5 774 307 467
Coach
6 Total 1524 788 736
*323 posts in the grade of Assistant Coach have been notified for
recruitment through the Direct Recruitment mode.
Page 4 of 14ANNEXURE-III
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (B) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 234 FOR 02.02.2026 ASKED BY SHRI
PUSHPENDRA SAROJ AND ADV PRIYA SAROJ REGARDING
‘COACHES AND ATHLETES IN SAI CENTRES’.
State-wise Details of Coaches Retiring in the Next Three Years
Name of State/UT No. of Coaches
Andhra Pradesh 2
Assam 2
Chhattisgarh 1
Delhi 6
Goa 1
Haryana 1
Jammu & Kashmir 1
Jharkhand 4
Karnataka 1
Kerala 2
Madhya Pradesh 4
Maharashtra 1
Manipur 2
Mizoram 1
Punjab 7
Rajasthan 2
Tamil Nadu 2
Telangana 1
Uttar Pradesh 2
West Bengal 8
Grand Total 51
Page 5 of 14ANNEXURE-IV
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (C) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 234 FOR 02.02.2026 ASKED BY SHRI
PUSHPENDRA SAROJ AND ADV PRIYA SAROJ REGARDING
‘COACHES AND ATHLETES IN SAI CENTRES’.
NUMBER OF SAI CENTERS AND STRENGTH OF ATHLETES 2025-2026
NATIONAL CENTRES OF EXCELLENCE (NCOEs)
SN Region/ Centre Name Total Athlete
1 Arunachal Pradesh
(i) Itanagar 254
2 Assam
(i) Guwahati 179
3 Delhi (UT)
(i) I.G. Stadium 180
(ii) MDCN Stadium 64
(iii) Dr. SPM Swimming Pool 20
Complex
(iv) Dr. Karni Singh Shooting Range 111
4 Gujarat
(i) Gandhinagar 276
(ii) Naranpura 82
5 Kerala
(i) Alleppey 122
(ii) Trivandrum 227
6 Haryana
(i) Rohtak 165
(ii) Sonepat 303
7 Himachal Pradesh
(i) Dharamshala 54
(ii) Hamirpur 126
8 Karnataka
(i) Bangalore 222
9 Madhya Pradesh
(i) Bhopal 291
10 Maharashtra
(i) Kandivali 86
Page 6 of 14SN Region/ Centre Name Total Athlete
(ii) Aurangabad 215
11 Manipur
(i) Imphal 219
12 Odisha
(i) Jagatpur 104
13 Punjab
(i) Patiala 226
14 Uttar Pradesh
(i) Lucknow 209
15 West Bengal
(i) Kolkata 196
(ii) Cooch Behar 0
SAI TRAINING CENTERS (STC) SCHEME
SN Region/ State/ Centre Name Total Athlete
1 Andaman & Nicobar Islands
(i) Port Blair 100
(ii) Car Nicobar 87
2 Andhra Pradesh
(i) Eluru 49
(ii) Kurnool 40
(iii) Visakhapatnam 85
3 Arunachal Pradesh
(i) Naharlagun 105
4 Assam
(i) Golaghat 61
(ii) Tinsukia 52
(iii) Kokrajhar 210
(iv) Solalgoan 102
5 Bihar
(i) Patna 30
6 Chhattisgarh
(i) Raipur 58
(ii) Rajnandgaon 80
7 Delhi (UT)
(i) Bawana 44
8 Goa
(i) Ponda 27
Page 7 of 14(ii) Peddem 40
9 Haryana
(i) Bhiwani 74
(ii) Hisar 229
(iii) Kurukshetra 66
10 Himachal Pradesh
(i) Bilaspur 62
11 Jammu & Kashmir (UT)
(i) Jammu 86
12 Jharkhand
(i) Hazaribagh 81
(ii) Ranchi 95
13 Karnataka
(i) Dharwad 52
(ii) Madikeri 50
(iii) Bangalore 56
14 Kerala
(i) Trichur 47
(ii) Kollam 101
(iii) Calicut 39
(iv) Tellicherry 92
15 Ladakh (UT)
(ii) Kargil 40
16 Lakshadweep (UT)
(i) Androth 94
17 Madhya Pradesh
(i) Dhar 75
(ii) Jabalpur 65
(iii) Tikamgarh 22
18 Manipur
(i) Imphal 129
(ii) Utlou 94
19 Meghalaya
(i) Shillong 149
20 Mizoram
(i) Aizwal 139
21 Nagaland
(i) Dimapur 62
22 Odisha
(i) Cuttack 41
Page 8 of 14(ii) Sundergarh 65
23 Puducherry (UT)
(i) Puducherry 77
(ii) Yanam 33
24 Punjab
(i) Mustuana Sahib 35
(ii) Badal 65
(iii) Ludhiana 55
25 Rajasthan
(i) Alwar 36
(ii) Jaipur 33
(iii) Jodhpur 41
26 Sikkim
(i) Namchi 73
27 Tamil Nadu
(i) Chennai 66
(ii) Salem 37
(iii) Mayiladuthurai 108
28 Telangana
(i) Hyderabad 125
29 Tripura
(i) Agartala 53
30 Uttar Pradesh
(i) Raibareily 32
(ii) Safai Etawah 42
(iii) Bareilly 62
(iv) Varanasi 104
31 Uttrakhand
(i) Kashipur 85
32 West Bengal
(i) Lebong 12
(ii) Bolpur 28
(iii) Jalpaiguri 99
Page 9 of 14EXTENSION CENTRE OF STC
SN Name of the Schools /Colleges / Others Total Athlete
1 Assam
(i) Dibrugarh Judo Association, Dibrugarh 09
(ii) Table Tennis Academy at Jorhat 19
(iii) Dakha Devi Rasiwasia College, Chabua 06
2 Jammu & Kashmir
(i) Water Sports, Nehru Park, Dal Lake, 18
Srinagar
3 Madhya Pradesh
(i) Ext. Centre Khandwa 35
(ii) Govt. Boys MP Hr. Sec. School, Indore 26
4 Odisha
(i) Hindustan Aeronautic Limited (HAL), 25
Koraput
5 Rajasthan
(i) University of Rajasthan, Jaipur 20
(ii) Mayo College, Ajmer 35
6 Uttar Pradesh
(i) Gurukul Archery Academy, Tikri, Meerut 0
Page 10 of 14INDIGENOUS GAMES AND MARTIAL ARTS SCHOOLS (IGMA)
SN Name of the Schools Total
1 Assam
(i) Martial Authority of Assam Tengapara, Kokrajhar 0
2 Jharkhand
(i) Swami Shardhanand DAV Centenary Public 0
School, Khunti
3 Maharashtra
(i) Dharamaveer Sambhaji Hr. Sec. School, 0
Sambhajinagar
4 Manipur
(i) The Sofia English School,Wangmataba, Thoubal 25
(ii) Panthoibi Jagoi Sindam Academy, Shanglen 20
5 Punjab
(i) International Fateh Academy, Jandiala, Guru, 20
Amritsar
6 Kerala
(i) Vyasa Vidya Peetham Kallekkad (PO) Palakkad 20
Distt.
7 Tamilnadu
(i) Sri Vivekananda Vidyalayam, Kandha Podikara, 20
Ambur
(ii) Govt. Girls Higher Sec. School, Thanjavur 20
ADOPTED AKHARAS
SN Name of the Schools & Colleges Total
Athlete
Maharashtra
1 Govt. Wrestling Centre, Kohlapur 30
2 Gulsachi Talim Akhara, Pune 30
3 Har Har Mahadev, Maroti Nagar, Dhule 30
4 Jai Shiv Ray Education Society, Kolhapur 30
5 Jog Maharaj Vyayamshala, Pune. 30
6 Kishanveer Akhara, Bhuij, Satara 30
7 Krida Vikas Vyayammandal, Sangli 30
8 MN Deshmukh Arts Science College, Ahemadnagar 30
9 Kolhapur Zilla RashtriyaTalim Kendra, Kohlapur 29
Page 11 of 14SN Name of the Schools & Colleges Total
Athlete
10 N. L. Balkwade Vyamshala, 102 Tilakpath, Nasik 30
11 Rangnath Markad Krida & Yuvak Mandal, Pune 30
12 Veer Hanuman Kala Krida, Sangli 30
13 Vishwatmak Jangli Maharaj Wrestling Centre, 30
Ahamadnagar
14 Mamasaheb Mohol Kusti Akhara, Katraj, Pune 0
TOTAL: 389
Rajasthan
15 Luv Kush Akhara, Bhilwara 27
Haryana
16 Lala Diwanchand Modern Wrestling Centre, Jhajjar 24
17 Ch. Bharat Singh Memorial Sports School, Nidani 26
18 Capt. Ram Karan Vyayamshala, Sec-37, Rohtak 23
19 Shaheed Bhagat Singh Akhara, Mirchpur 17
20 Vikas Phelwan Vyayamshala, Jalebi Road, Rohtak 0
Total 90
Delhi
21 Chandroop Akhara, Azadpur, New Delhi 19
22 Chandgi Ram Vyamshala, Civil Line, Delhi 22
23 Guru Dron Mann Academy, Village Bakoli, Delhi 14
24 Guru Hanuman Akhara, Shakti Nagar, Delhi 27
25 Maharishi Dayanand Akhara, Najafgarh, New Delhi 23
26 Sonkar Vyayamshala, Gurmandi, Delhi 15
27 Swami Bhumanand Kushti Acad., Narela, Delhi 11
TOTAL: 131
Punjab
28 Baba Sheikh Farid Kusti Akhara, Faridkot 25
29 Padam Shree Kartar Singh Akhara, Amritsar 25
TOTAL: 50
Madhya Pradesh
30 Shri Achyutanand Guru Vyayamshala, Ujjain 20
31 Shri Binda Guru Akhara, Indore 20
32 Deshwali Samaj Akhara, Ujjain 20
TOTAL: 60
Uttar Pradesh
33 Guru Gaya Seth, Varansi 0
34 Choudhary Mahaveer Singh, Loni Ghaziabad 30
Page 12 of 14SN Name of the Schools & Colleges Total
Athlete
35 Meghu Pehalwan Vyayamshala, Varanasi 0
36 Satayanarayan Singh Khel Vikas Sansthan, Mirzapur 0
37 Bachan Singh, Muzaffarnagar 30
38 Arya Vyayamshala, Chhaproli, Baghpat 29
39 Rastriya College, Shahpur, Muzaffarnagar 27
TOTAL: 116
Assam
40 Langhin Tinali Sports Asso., Langhin, Anglong 14
Page 13 of 14ANNEXURE-V
ANNEXURE REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PART (C) OF LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 234 FOR 02.02.2026 ASKED BY SHRI
PUSHPENDRA SAROJ AND ADV PRIYA SAROJ REGARDING
‘‘COACHES AND ATHLETES IN SAI CENTRES’.
DETAILS OF SAI SCHEMES IN THE STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH
DURING THE YEARS 2025-26
Total
SN Name of the Scheme(s)
Athlete
National Centre of Excellence (NCOEs)
1 Lucknow 209
SAI Training Centers (STC)
1 Raibareily 32
2 Safai Etawah 42
3 Bareilly 62
4 Varanasi 104
Adopted Akharas in Uttar Pradesh
1 Arya Vyayamshala, Chhaproli, Baghpat 29
2 Bachan Singh, Muzaffarnagar 30
3 Choudhary Mahaveer Singh, Loni Ghaziabad 30
4 Rastriya College, Shahpur, Muzaffarnagar 27
Total 565
*****
Page 14 of 14