ASMITA League can boost India’s Olympic medal tally: MoS Raksha Khadse

Aurangabad: Minister of State for Youth Affairs & Sports Smt Raksha Nikhil Khadse on Sunday said that India’s medal count at the Summer Olympic Games and other multi-discipline events can only improve if there is a multi-fold rise in women’s participation in sports.

Khadse made the remarks during the launch of a nationwide athletics league at 250 locations across the country under the ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action) programme. The event was held at the Divisional Sports Complex in Garkheda, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, to mark International Women’s Day.

The Union Minister of State also inaugurated yoga, wushu, kickboxing and weightlifting leagues under the ASMITA banner. She further flagged off a cyclothon and walkathon organised by the Sports Authority of India’s (SAI) National Centre of Excellence (NCOE) Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in collaboration with My Bharat, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation and the Maharashtra State Sports Department to promote fitness, sports participation and women empowerment.

Describing ASMITA as a catalyst for improving India’s medal tally in international competitions, Smt Raksha Khadse said, “International Women’s Day reminds us that women’s rights, dignity, and equal opportunities are not just a social necessity, but the foundation of nation building. By providing opportunities to women, the entire society becomes empowered. That is what we are doing through ASMITA, which was launched in 2021 by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

She added that the initiative is helping identify talent from grassroots levels, including rural, tribal and school backgrounds. “ASMITA is helping us identify talent from the grassroots, from rural, tribal, school-level background. When participation increases, talent pool increases, competition gets better and then medal count also improves. If more women start taking up sports, we will improve our performance in big events. So, ASMITA in a way is a catalyst in improving medal count at international competitions like Olympics,” she said.

According to official data, the ASMITA League has so far witnessed participation of nearly three lakh women across 33 disciplines in about 2,600 leagues. In the 2025-26 season, around 1.59 lakh women have already taken part in 1,287 leagues.

On the occasion of International Women’s Day, the ASMITA athletics league was conducted in three race categories—100 metres, 200 metres and 400 metres—for girls in under-13, 13-18 and 18-plus age groups across 250 locations nationwide. Around two lakh girls participated in the one-day event, which was implemented in collaboration with MY Bharat, Khelo India Centres (KICs), the SAI ecosystem and NCOEs, State and District Sports Associations as well as District Youth Officers (DYOs).

Smt Khadse said, “Let every district become active in sports, every daughter become confident, and fitness become a national habit. Through Khelo India, Fit India, MY Bharat, and ASMITA, we are building a stronger, fitter, and empowered India. Under the vision of Hon’ble Prime Minister, India’s sports ecosystem is continuously becoming more inclusive and women-centric.”

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