News18 India hosted ‘Jazba: Jadon Se Shikhar Tak’ in Delhi on September 18, bringing together sportspersons, coaches, policymakers and voices from across India’s sports industry for a day of conversations around the country’s sporting journey.

The event focused on the stories behind India’s sporting victories, the challenges athletes face on their way to the podium and the need to strengthen the ecosystem supporting sporting talent. Speakers discussed India’s growing sporting culture, existing gaps and the steps needed to nurture talent and build a stronger sporting nation.

The discussions covered the journey from identifying talent at the grassroots level to providing athletes with the infrastructure, training, support and opportunities required to compete at the highest level. Coaches including Uttam Majumdar, Professional Cricket Coach; Uday Vishwanath Deshpande, Indian Mallakhamb Coach; Jwala Singh, Global Cricket Coach; Jagdish Kaliraman, Wrestling Coach; and Gaurav Khanna, Head Coach, Indian National Para-badminton team, shared their experiences of working with and developing sporting talent.

The conversations also touched upon India’s Olympic ambitions, the changing sports economy, technology and innovation, and the growing role of sport in the country’s wider cultural and economic ecosystem.

Addressing the gathering through a recorded message, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, congratulated News18 India on the initiative and called for collective efforts to build an India where every child has the opportunity to play, sporting talent is recognised and sportspersons are respected.

He also stressed the importance of creating a fitter and healthier India, while highlighting the need for a sporting environment that can support athletes at different stages of their journey.

Kiren Rijiju, Union Cabinet Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Ministry of Minority Affairs, reflected on his experience of working towards transforming India’s sports landscape. He said that while winning remains an important goal in sport, one of the larger challenges is taking sport to the common people and creating a sporting culture across the country.

“Our country has a long sporting tradition, but we have not yet developed a sporting culture. Small countries win multiple Olympic medals because the entire country is involved in sport. In India, when athletes win medals, we celebrate. But before they win those medals, we don’t pay much attention to sports,” Rijiju said.

“Creating a sporting culture was the biggest challenge for me, and that is what I made my priority,” he added.

The event also featured discussions around emerging sporting talent. Speaking about young cricketer Vaibhav Suryavanshi, cricketer Shivam Dube praised the youngster’s ability as a powerful hitter and said he would have to wait for an opportunity given the performances of India’s current opening pair.

“Vaibhav is a very powerful hitter. I have never seen talent like his. He isn’t getting an opportunity right now because both our openers who have been playing regularly have scored a lot of runs for the team. So, they are being given the chance at the moment. Vaibhav will have to wait a little more,” Dube said.

Para-sport and inclusion also formed an important part of the discussions. Paralympian and Khel Ratna, Padma Shri and Arjuna Awardee Deepa Malik spoke about the evolution of para-sports in India and the challenges that existed when she began her journey.

Reflecting on India’s first women’s Paralympic medal in 2016, Malik said it raised questions about why it took more than seven decades after Independence for an Indian woman to win a medal in disability sport. She pointed to gaps in opportunities and the need for a change in social mindsets.

Malik also highlighted initiatives and schemes such as the Target Olympic Podium Scheme, Accessible India Campaign and Fit India Movement, saying they contributed to greater inclusion of para-athletes in sporting policies and helped bring a change in the way disability sport was viewed.

News18 India’s ‘Jazba: Jadon Se Shikhar Tak’ brought together perspectives from across the sporting ecosystem, with discussions extending beyond medal-winning performances to the people, systems and support structures behind them. The event also explored how young Indians can be encouraged and supported to turn their interest in sport into long-term careers.