Sports federations directed to finalise LA 2028 Olympic Games qualification pathways

The Indian Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, on Thursday, directed the country’s National Sports Federations (NSFs) to finalise and publish their qualification pathways and athlete selection criteria for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games by July 15, 2026.

The ministry instructed all federations to upload the qualification pathway for LA 2028, along with the selection criteria and procedure to choose athletes, on their respective official websites ‘immediately and no later than July 15, 2026’.

Federations have also been asked to share the selection policy with the Sports Authority of India (SAI) and their affiliated State and Union Territory associations to provide athletes clarity on the road to Olympic qualification and selection.

The ministry noted that the qualification systems for the LA 2028 Olympics have already been published by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), providing the framework for national federations to formulate their own selection policies.

Reiterating its position on transparency in athlete selection, the ministry said selection criteria for major must be made public at least two years before the start of the respective event. The LA 2028 Olympics is scheduled to run from July 14 to July 30, 2028.

According to the ministry, the initiative is intended to strengthen transparency and accountability by ensuring that qualification pathways, selection criteria and procedures are available in the public domain well in advance, allowing athletes and other stakeholders to clearly understand the route to Olympic selection.