New Delhi, July 9 (IANS) The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has directed all recognised National Sports Federations (NSFs) governing Olympic disciplines to publish their qualification and athlete selection pathway for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games by July 15, in a move aimed at enhancing transparency and accountability in the selection process.

In a communication issued to the federations, the Ministry asked NSFs to post the complete qualification pathway, along with the selection criteria and procedure to be followed for selecting athletes for the 2028 Games, scheduled to be held from July 14 to 30, 2028, on their official websites.

The Ministry also reiterated its existing policy that the selection criteria for major multi-sport events, including the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games, Para Asian Games, and Commonwealth Games, must be finalised and made publicly available at least two years before the respective event.

In addition to uploading the policy on their websites, NSFs have been instructed to share the selection framework with their affiliated State and Union Territory associations and the Sports Authority of India (SAI) to ensure wider dissemination among athletes and other stakeholders.

According to the Ministry, the qualification pathways for the Los Angeles Olympics have already been released by the respective International Federations, enabling Indian federations to finalise and publish their own athlete selection framework without delay.

The Ministry has asked all recognised NSFs to complete the exercise immediately and no later than July 15.

The directive is intended to bring greater clarity and consistency to the athlete selection process by ensuring that qualification pathways, eligibility criteria, and selection procedures are available in the public domain well in advance, allowing athletes to plan their Olympic campaigns with full knowledge of the requirements.

--IANS

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