Funds Meant For Athletes Used To Upgrade Sports Facilities For Bureaucrats, Reveals Investigation

New Delhi: A major investigation by The Indian Express has revealed that crores of rupees from the National Sports Development Fund (NSDF) — a fund meant to support athletes and sports infrastructure in India — were allegedly used to build and upgrade sports facilities primarily serving senior bureaucrats and exclusive civil services institutions in the national capital.  

The investigation, based on five years of official records accessed through the Right to Information (RTI) Act and interviews with current and former government officials, found that between 2021 and 2025, over Rs 6.2 crore from the NSDF was released for projects linked to the Civil Services Officers’ Institute (CSOI), the Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board (CCSCSB), and the New Moti Bagh Residential Complex in Lutyens’ Delhi.

At the centre of the controversy is the upscale New Moti Bagh residential colony, home to many of India’s top bureaucrats. The complex now features world-class sports infrastructure including a temperature-controlled swimming pool with a transparent canopy, tennis courts, badminton courts with wooden flooring, a squash court, gymnasium and billiards room. Entry to the facilities is reportedly restricted through screening and security checks.  

Records cited in the investigation show that the New Moti Bagh complex first received Rs 2.8 crore under the Khelo India scheme in 2019 for sports infrastructure development. Later, in June 2024, another Rs 2.2 crore from the NSDF was approved for renovation and upgradation of the same facilities. Of this amount, Rs 1.1 crore was released during 2024-25 and Rs 88 lakh in 2025-26.  

The report also found that on March 10, 2021, the NSDF sanctioned Rs 3.01 crore for renovation and sports infrastructure development at the Civil Services Officers’ Institute (CSOI), an elite club for bureaucrats located in central Delhi. Another Rs 1.55 crore was approved for the Central Civil Services Cultural and Sports Board campus, which functions under the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).  

The NSDF, established in 1998 under the Charitable Endowments Act, was created to support Indian athletes, training programmes, sports infrastructure and elite schemes such as the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS). The fund is managed by a 12-member council headed by the Union Sports Minister, while grant approvals are handled by a six-member executive committee comprising senior Sports Ministry and Sports Authority of India (SAI) officials.  

The investigation further revealed that the fund’s contributions have sharply declined in recent years, falling from Rs 85.26 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 37.02 crore in 2025-26. Amid this decline, a Parliamentary Standing Committee had reportedly raised concerns over NSDF funds being allocated to residential colonies and civil services associations instead of direct athlete development.  

The report also stated that around Rs 2.66 crore from the fund was allocated to two RSS-linked organisations in Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh for tournaments and sports infrastructure projects. In addition, the Sports Authority of India reportedly spent over Rs 1 crore from the NSDF on cricket-related gift items for cricket boards in countries such as Maldives, Jamaica and St Vincent and the Grenadines.  

Reacting to the findings, several former Sports Ministry officials questioned the use of public sports funds for facilities that are not fully accessible to the general public or directly beneficial to athletes. One former official described the spending as “unethical”, especially at a time when many athletes continue to struggle with inadequate infrastructure and financial support.  

The revelations have also triggered strong reactions on social media, with several users criticising the alleged diversion of funds meant for Indian athletes toward exclusive facilities for bureaucrats.