In a nationwide push to deepen women’s participation in sport, Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse has announced a large-scale ASMITA League to mark International Women’s Day on March 8.
The initiative will be conducted across more than 30 States and Union Territories, including the North East, under the joint framework of Khelo India and MY Bharat.
ASMITA, short for Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action, will stage athletics competitions at 250 locations across the country in a single coordinated effort. The league will focus on track events, including 100m, 200m and 400m races, with participation categories spanning Under 13, 13 to 18 years, and 18 and above. Officials expect close to 2.5 lakh women to compete on the day, making it one of the largest single-day women’s athletics mobilisations in the country.
Announcing the program, Raksha Khadse, said, “There can’t be a better opportunity to integrate our young women across the nation and what better tool than using the ASMITA platform that is already gaining in popularity across the length and breadth of the country.
“The League will be organised in more than 30 States and Union Territories, including the North-east States. The objective is to encourage more and more girls in villages and small towns to take up sports as a career, as is envisioned by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
“As India prepares for the Commonwealth Games 2030 and pursues its ambition to host the 2036 Olympic Games. We must understand that readiness begins at the district level. Hosting an Olympic Games requires more than infrastructure. It requires trained human resources in every district of India. It requires certified technical officials. It requires administrative excellence. This International Women’s Day initiative is part of that preparation.”
Each venue under the ASMITA League will deploy certified technical officials and volunteers, with an emphasis on women officials. The events will also feature developmental workshops aligned with the norms of the Athletics Federation of India, along with digital data management and competition documentation training to support long-term capacity building.
The programme will be implemented in collaboration with the Sports Authority of India ecosystem, Khelo India Centres, National Centres of Excellence, state and district associations, and District Youth Officers. MY Bharat will assist in mobilising youth networks to ensure wide participation and outreach.
Launched in 2021, the ASMITA platform has evolved into a key component of the Khelo India framework for women’s sport. More than 2,600 leagues have been conducted across 34 disciplines in over 550 districts and 700 cities, with participation exceeding three lakh women. The initiative has reached remote regions, including states in the North-East, as well as districts previously affected by conflict, widening the talent identification base.
The ASMITA League is expected to function as a feeder mechanism within the Khelo India system, providing recurring competition and measurable performance benchmarks for emerging athletes. By institutionalising structured competition at scale, the government aims to strengthen the women’s sports pipeline and build a broader foundation for future international success.
