Bihar’s Sports Revolution: The 2026 Masterplan

The Government of Bihar has set a “historic” expansion in motion for 2026, shifting the focus from mere recreation to high-performance excellence. With a significantly increased sports budget of ₹568 crore, the state is rolling out infrastructure and policies that rival national standards.

1. The Patna Sports City (Punpun)

A flagship project under the Seven Resolves (Saat Nishchay-03) scheme, work is beginning on a world-class Sports City in the Punpun block of Patna.

• Scale: Spanning over 100 acres with an investment of approximately ₹574 crore.
• Facilities: Olympic-standard stadiums for football, hockey, and athletics, alongside specialized arenas for archery, swimming, and taekwondo.
• Science & Tech: It will house Bihar’s first high-tech Sports Science Laboratory and a dedicated Sports University to provide academic backing to athletic careers.

2. Grassroots Infrastructure: “One School, One Sport”

To ensure talent is identified early, the masterplan integrates sports into the daily life of students:

• Mandatory Sports Periods: Every government school in Patna and across Bihar is adopting the “One School, One Sport” model, where schools specialize in one discipline to create deep talent pools.
• Eklavya Centres: 64 Eklavya Sports Centres are becoming fully operational this year, focusing specifically on rural and semi-urban talent discovery.
• Panchayat Clubs: Over 8,000 sports clubs are being established at the panchayat level to provide quality equipment to village youth.

3. Athlete Support: “Medal Lao, Naukri Pao”

The 2026 policy ensures that sports is a viable career path, not just a hobby:

• Scholarships (Saksham & Udaan): Elite athletes can now receive between ₹5 lakh to ₹20 lakh annually for training, foreign exposure, and advanced nutrition.
• Direct Employment: Under the “Win a Medal, Get a Job” policy, international and national medalists are eligible for direct recruitment into state government roles.
• Health & Welfare: A dedicated health policy for female athletes and a general Players’ Welfare Fund have been activated to cover medical emergencies and insurance.

4. Modernizing Heritage Venues

While new cities are built, Patna’s legacy venues are getting a facelift:

• Moin-ul-Haq Stadium: Being leased to the BCCI for long-term development to meet international standards for IPL and international matches.
• Patliputra Sports Complex: Upgrades include new prefabricated synthetic tracks and a G+1 modern gymnasium building.