Transparent Selection Process Under Yogi Govt Becomes A Model, Admissions To Sports Colleges In Final Stage

Lucknow: Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, continuous and effective steps are being taken in Uttar Pradesh to promote sports and support athletes. The Yogi Government's commitment to providing better opportunities to sporting talent and ensuring a completely fair, transparent and merit-based selection process is clearly visible on the ground.

In this regard, the admission process for the academic session 2026-27 in 5 prestigious Sports Colleges of the state has reached its final stage.

The merit list for admission to Classes 6, 9 and 11 has been released for five major Sports Colleges operated under the Uttar Pradesh Sports Colleges Society, Lucknow: Guru Gobind Singh Sports College, Lucknow; Veer Bahadur Singh Sports College, Gorakhpur; Major Dhyan Chand Sports College, Saifai; Sports College, Saharanpur; and Sports College, Fatehpur.

The selection committee awarded marks online based on the performance of each participant.

Across all 5 Sports Colleges in the state, a total of 518 seats are vacant in 14 sports disciplines. Following the main selection test, a merit list of 558 players has been released.

According to the list, 391 players have been selected in the fresh list, while 167 players have been placed on the waiting list. Separate lists have been issued category-wise by class and sport, which candidates can download from the concerned portal.

In the next phase of the admission process, selected players will undergo biological age verification and medical examination. This process will also be conducted in a fully transparent manner in accordance with prescribed standards.

Biological age verification of players participating in Athletics, Badminton, Cricket and Football will be conducted at the Chief Medical Officer's Office in Lucknow.

Similarly, players of Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Volleyball and Wrestling will undergo verification at the Chief Medical Officer's Office in Gorakhpur.

Players participating in Kabaddi, Swimming, Handball, Boxing and Weightlifting will undergo biological age verification at the Chief Medical Officer's Office in Saifai/Etawah.

The concerned Chief Medical Officer's Office will determine the dates for biological age verification and medical examinations. Thereafter, the respective Sports Colleges will inform the selected players.

Players found eligible during the verification process will be granted final admission through counselling.

Deependra Yadav, Secretary of the Uttar Pradesh Sports College Management Committee and Principal of Lucknow Sports College, stated that players who successfully clear the biological verification process will be admitted after counselling in accordance with prescribed rules. A separate notification regarding the counselling process will be issued.

The impact of the Yogi Government's sports policy is also evident from the record number of applications received for admission to Sports Colleges this year.

Approximately 2,600 students applied for 518 seats, the highest number recorded so far. This reflects the growing interest in sports across the state and increasing confidence in the government's sports-oriented policies.

The main selection test was conducted from June 3 to June 6, 2026, as per the scheduled programme at the respective Sports Colleges for different sports disciplines.

To ensure complete transparency and digitisation of the selection process, the performance of players was evaluated through an online system.

From this academic session, two new institutions, Fatehpur Sports College and Saharanpur Sports College, are commencing operations.