A fund created to support Indian athletes and develop sporting infrastructure was allegedly used to build and upgrade elite sports facilities for bureaucrats in Delhi, according to an investigation by The Indian Express.
The report suggests that crores of rupees from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) were channelled towards sports complexes inside government residential colonies and exclusive civil services institutions, even as contributions to the fund sharply declined over the last few years.
The NSDF was established in 1998 to support athletes, training programmes, international exposure and sports infrastructure projects across the country. The fund also backs several elite initiatives, including the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS).
However, an investigation by the paper based on RTI records and official documents found that between 2021 and 2025, more than Rs 6.2 crore from the NSDF was spent on facilities linked to bureaucrats, including the Civil Services Officers Institute (CSOI), the Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board (CCSCSB), and the New Moti Bagh Residential Complex in Delhi.
GOVT RESIDENCY ENJOYING BENIFITS
The report stated that New Moti Bagh, one of Delhi’s most high-profile government residential colonies housing senior bureaucrats, received Rs 2.2 crore from the NSDF in 2024 for the “upgradation and renovation” of sports infrastructure. The colony already received Rs 2.8 crore under the Khelo India scheme in 2019 for sports facilities.
The sports complex reportedly includes temperature-controlled swimming pools, wooden-floor badminton courts, squash facilities, tennis courts, gyms and billiards rooms.
The Indian Express report also highlighted that access to these facilities remains restricted despite being built using public money meant for sports development.
Apart from infrastructure linked to bureaucrats, the investigation found that funds were also allocated to organisations outside the mainstream sporting ecosystem. Two RSS-linked organisations in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh reportedly received more than Rs 2.66 crore combined for sports-related projects and tournaments.
The report further claimed that the Sports Authority of India (SAI), through the NSDF, spent over Rs 1 crore on procuring cricket equipment as gifts for cricket boards in countries such as Maldives, Jamaica, and St Vincent and the Grenadines.
These expenditures have come under scrutiny because of a sharp fall in contributions to the NSDF. As per the report, donations to the fund fell from Rs 85.26 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 37.02 crore in 2025-26.
The issue was also flagged by a Parliamentary Standing Committee in a report tabled in the Lok Sabha in August 2025. The committee reportedly warned against using NSDF money for residential colonies and civil service associations and called for stricter regulation of the fund.
The Sports Ministry did not respond to questions put forth by the paper. Former officials quoted in the report also questioned the ethics of diverting funds meant for athletes and public sports infrastructure towards exclusive facilities serving bureaucrats.
The investigation has once again raised questions over transparency and accountability in the utilisation of sports funds in India, especially at a time when athletes and federations frequently complain about inadequate infrastructure and financial support.
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