The Delhi High Court directed the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) to pursue with the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir the inclusion of Dragon Boat Racing as a competitive sport in the Khelo India Water Sports Festival scheduled from August 21-23, 2025 at Dal Lake, Srinagar. The court held that the petitioner’s previous attempts to secure inclusion had failed only on account of logistical and time constraints, despite Dragon Boat Racing being recognized internationally and the petitioner being the sole internationally recognized national body for the sport in India.
The petitioner contended that Dragon Boat Racing was officially included in the 6th Asia Beach Games held in Sanya, China, from November 28, 2020 to December 6, 2020 by virtue of a decision taken by the Olympic Council Asia (OCA). The sport was also officially included in the sports program of the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou from September 10-25, 2022. The petitioner claimed that the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) had certified that the Dragon Boat India and Traditional Sports Federation was a member of the international Federation, and the Asian Dragon Boat Federation (ADBF) had recognised the petitioner as the national governing body for Dragon Boat Racing in India. The petitioner argued that despite repeated attempts to secure inclusion in various domestic sporting events, including a Kerala High Court order dated January 23, 2023 directing the Union of India to take a decision regarding inclusion, no results were yielded.
However, the respondent, Union of India claimed that Dragon Boat Racing had been introduced as a demonstrative sport, and not as a competitive sport, in the first Khelo India Water Sports Festival. It was argued that competitive sports were required to be organised in accordance with technical rules prescribed by concerned National Sports Federations (NSFs), aligned with international standards. The respondent emphasized that the Host State/Union Territory played a pivotal role in planning, preparation, and execution of Khelo India Games, and that the list of competitive and demo sports was finalized on June 6, 2025. It was contended that any post-finalization inclusion of additional competitive sport posed significant administrative and logistical challenges, including feasibility of venue readiness, equipment procurement, and selection and training of athletes within a limited time frame.
The Court observed that the petitioner had been persistent in its attempts to include Dragon Boat Racing as a competitive sport in various domestic events, but on successive occasions had ostensibly lost out on account of logistical reasons and time constraints. The court noted that the fact that Dragon Boat Racing was recognised as a competitive sport in various international sporting events was not denied, particularly its inclusion in the 19th Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China, from September 23, 2023 to October 8, 2023. The court held that while the petitioner was not a duly recognised NSF, even in the MYAS order dated May 16, 2025, it was not denied that Dragon Boat Racing was an emerging sport with a growing international footprint, and that recognition of a body as an NSF was a gradual and evolving process.
Justice Sachin Datta held that the petitioner was the sole internationally recognized authority for Dragon Boat Racing in India, affiliated with both the International Dragon Boat Federation (IDBF) and the Asian Dragon Boat Federation (ADBF), representing India globally as one of the 74 IDBF member nations. The court found that the petitioner had a presence in 24 States and Union Territories, including in Jammu & Kashmir, and possessed equipment and had a pool of trained athletes and qualified technical officials. The court observed that Dragon Boat Racing had deep historical roots in Northeast and South India and formed part of India’s sporting heritage, meriting proactive promotion under both constitutional and policy mandates, as the Khelo India Programme explicitly aimed to revive sports culture at grassroots level with promotion of rural and indigenous/tribal games as one of its core objectives. The court directed that the arrangement would be only for the purpose of the specific Water Sports Festival and would not create any equity or right in favour of the petitioner for future recognition, grant in aid, or any other purpose and accordingly the petition was disposed of.
Appearances:
Petitioner: Mr. Ajeesh Kalathil Gopi and Ms. Priya Jha, Advocates
Respondents: Mr. Udit Dedhiya, SPC, Ms. Apurva Sachdev, Mr. Dushyant Pratap Singh, GP, UOI
