PRAYAGRAJ, Aug. 1 -- In a major move aimed at promoting fitness and holistic development among children, the Uttar Pradesh government is preparing a proposal to make participation in sports compulsory for every student across all educational boards in the state from the 2027-28 academic session. The initiative, titled 'School for Sports', is being drafted by a team of academic and sports experts headed by additional chief secretary Deepak Kumar. The proposed policy will cover nearly 34,000 schools in Uttar Pradesh, including over 29,000 UP Board-affiliated institutions. According to Bhagwati Singh, secretary of the UP Board and a member of the School Games Federation of India (SGFI), every student will be required to participate in at least two sporting events annually, including one individual sport and one team sport. "Every student will have to participate in one individual sport besides one team event. The school principal will be the nodal officer for implementation of the proposal. Schools without sports teachers will nominate a teacher responsible for conducting sporting activities throughout the year," Singh said. The policy framework is being developed by academicians, psychologists and experienced sports teachers. A flexible implementation model is being planned to ensure that schools utilise available resources effectively, while institutions lacking adequate sports infrastructure can share facilities with nearby schools. Singh said the initiative draws inspiration from the Centre's Fit India and Khelo India programmes and seeks to improve children's fitness levels while simultaneously identifying and nurturing sporting talent at the grassroots level. "The objective is not only to promote physical fitness and all-round personality development but also to create a larger pool of talented athletes who can represent the country at international events, including future Olympic Games," he said. Earlier this month, ACS Deepak Kumar accompanied by UP Board secretary Bhagwati Singh addressed the General Assembly of the International School Sport Federation (ISF) in Belgrade. The development comes shortly after India secured hosting rights for two major international school sporting events in 2027: the ISF World School Wrestling Championship and the ISF World School Badminton Championship. Both competitions will be held in New Delhi and are expected to attract more than 1,100 athletes and officials from over 35 countries. To facilitate the events, the SGFI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Delhi government and the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. Singh said the broader vision is to identify sporting talent from every corner of the country and provide young athletes with opportunities to progress from school-level competitions to the international stage. He added that India's growing engagement with the ISF aligns with the country's ambition to host the 2036 Olympic Games. The SGFI currently reaches over 2.62 lakh schools and 4.14 crore students nationwide. During the 2025-26 academic session, the federation conducted more than 250 national competitions across 44 disciplines through its 45 affiliated units, recording participation from over 61,000 student-athletes....