New Delhi: National Institute of Sports (NIS) Patiala has planned to give 46 eminent athletes direct admission to the flagship diploma course every year in sports coaching.
This procedure will start from the 2020-21 season and the revamped admission policy of the course has included this provision for the very first time, with an effort to encourage the participation of the eminent sportsperson in the sports coaching sector.
Several changes in the existing policy have been incorporated to ensure that new coaches are able to cater to the evolving needs of the growing sports ecosystem of India.
Boxing training hall at NIS Patiala For the first time, the entrance exam for the course has been made online, and will not be held manually. The number of seats have also been increased from 566 to 725, in keeping with the restructuring of various sporting disciplines & need of the country.
As per the key modifications, it has been proposed that eminent athletes who have either participated in the Olympics or a medal in the world championship or gold medal in Asian/Commonwealth Games will be given direct admission to the course, without any written test or interview.
This first-of-its-kind direct inclusion of eminent athletes has been proposed in order to encourage eminent athletes for coming into the field of sports coaching. There are 46 seats reserved for eminent athletes (men and women) in 23 sporting disciplines.
The marking of the three parameters of educational qualification, virtual interview and sporting achievements have been changed to reduce subjectivity and increase objectivity in the process. The marks allotted to minimum educational qualification (10+2, Graduation) has been brought down to 10 instead of 15.
Weightlifting Hall at NIS Patiala Instead, the exam will test the coaching aptitude of the candidate. In order to ensure that the best athletes join as coaches, the marks for educational qualification has been reduced. The marks for Sporting Achievements have been enhanced from 10 to 20, with an effort to get athletes who have participated and excelled in more sporting events.
For the first time, a minimum physical standard has been incorporated in the entrance criteria to ensure a fitter coaching cadre. This will replace the 20 marks allotted to a practical test in the old system.
A candidate will be allowed to appear for a competitive exam at the age of 21. This will allow fresh graduates to straight come to diploma course instead of two years of compulsory waiting period.
The maximum age of joining the course is 35 years with provision for relaxation of 5 (in place of 3 years earlier) if the candidate is an eminent athlete, belongs to SC/ST category or belongs to the North-east.
In order to create a bigger funnel to attract talent, several relaxations have been made in the eligibility criteria especially in the sports achievement section.
First of all, instead of the mandatory requirement of two times participation in All India University Games, now candidates who have participated only once, either in the All India University Games or Khelo India University Games or Senior National Championship will be eligible to apply.
