On Tuesday, the Union cabinet approved the National Sports Policy 2025, a milestone initiative aimed at reforming the sports landscape of India and empowering citizens through sport.
The policy includes five striking functions, of which there is one ‘sport for social development’, which speaks of the importance of sports in promoting global peace and mutual understanding. It emphasizes equal opportunities for all individuals, regardless of the background so that they can excel.
Under that category is a fragment of the policy: «Where possible, promising and prominent Indian originatives who live abroad are encouraged to come back to India at international level.»
This can be an indication of a change compared to the perspective of Indian football, where players from OCI (overseas citizens of India) and PIO (People of Indian Origin) have been an important point of discussion.
Also read: National Sports Policy 2025: What are the striking features of Khelo Bharat Niti?
The All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) was encouraged by members of the sporting brotherhood and fans to facilitate the process of integration of OCI and PIO players in the national team. However, a 2008 directive from the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport (Myas) is currently required that only Indian citizens with a valid Indian passport can represent India in international sports.
However, if the aforementioned fragment of the National Sports Policy 2025 is successfully implemented, Indian Football can see a big change, so that OCI and PIO players would attract the Blue Tigers Jersey.
Aiff President, Kalyan Chaubey, said in an exclusive interview with Sportstar: «Overseas citizen of India (OCI) and person of Indian origin (PIO) cardholders are foreign subjects who have granted limited social and economic rights in India. Since India does not recognize any double citizenship, these cards have no Indianse nationality.»
“Card holders often have strong ancestral ties with India – through parents, grandparents or earlier home – who are eligible for the eligible sporting and in some cases make national representation possible.
We investigate how PIO/OCI players can tune into FIFA statutes, Indian citizenship laws and national sports policy.
This is a continuous process, and until we receive clarity from FIFA and the Indian government, we cannot reveal names, «added Chaubey.
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