The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on Monday announced the formal reactivation of the National Olympic Academy (NOA) in Ahmedabad, describing the move as a major step towards strengthening the Olympic movement in India, with President P T Usha set to lead the institution.
The IOA also confirmed the launch of the National Olympic Education and Development Programme (NOEDP), aimed at delivering structured education and development initiatives across the Olympic ecosystem.
In a press release, the IOA said: “The IOA General House unanimously approved President P T Usha as the President of the National Olympic Academy, and Shri Gagan Narang, Vice President of the IOA and Olympic medallist, as the Director of the National Olympic Academy.”
While the NOA has existed since 2018, its operations had remained stalled due to several factors, including the COVID-19 pandemic. India had earlier housed the Bharat Centre of Olympic Research and Education (BCROE) at the Rashtriya Raksha University in Gandhinagar.
Clarifying the decision, IOA chief executive officer Raghuram Iyer said, “This National Olympic Academy has been there since 2018 but remained inactive due to reasons which include the pandemic. That's why we are saying it's a reactivation.”
The decisions were taken during the IOA Executive Council meeting held on January 8 and were unanimously endorsed by the IOA General House at its Annual General Meeting on January 9. Both meetings took place in Ahmedabad.
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Highlighting the broader vision, the IOA said, “The initiatives reflect the IOA's renewed focus on athlete-centric development, Olympic education, and institutional capacity building, aligned with global best practices.”
It added, “The National Olympic Education and Development Programme (NOEDP) has been conceived as a comprehensive national framework to deliver structured education and development programmes across the Olympic ecosystem.”
The programme will be implemented in collaboration with National Sports Federations and State Olympic Associations to ensure wide outreach from grassroots to elite levels.
Key focus areas include Olympic values and ethics education, holistic athlete development, welfare and career transition support, capacity building of coaches, officials and administrators, and strengthened governance structures.
“As a cornerstone of this initiative, the National Olympic Academy (NOA) has been reactivated to function as the central institution for Olympic education, learning, research, and dialogue in India,” the IOA stated.
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