Esports to be official recognised as National Sport in India

The Indian Government has granted official recognition for Esports as a national sport, with the release of their draft rules titled 'The Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Rules', in October 2025.

Compared to before, where Esports was generally confused with Gambling, it will now the same bureaucratic machinery as cricket or hockey. The government has also drawn a clear line between competitive esports and casual online gaming, the former will fall under the Sports Ministry’s jurisdiction, while the latter will be managed by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

This also means that Indian players will enjoy the same status, potentially even getting fundings from Government, training infrastructure, and official representation in international events. In CS2, partnered with Skyesports, many state governments have already participated in hosting tournaments. In the future, we can even expect the National Government partake in organising tournaments.