It began as a quiet but determined effort—an internal push to redefine what a paramilitary force could achieve beyond security duty. Today, it has become a historic chapter in Indian sports.
In the year 2024–25, the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) shattered all previous records, collecting a stunning 159 medals across international, national, and All India Police sports events. The scale of this achievement is more than just numbers—it signals the rise of a new contender in India’s sporting narrative.
One of the most powerful moments came recently in Birmingham, USA, at the World Police and Fire Games 2025, where CISF athletes stunned spectators by winning 66 medals, catapulting India’s presence in the global police sporting arena. It was a moment of pride that resonated from the training camps to the barracks back home. On July 14, the force came together at its headquarters in Lodhi Road, New Delhi, where the Director General of CISF personally felicitated the champions. There were tears, applause, and a palpable sense of something bigger unfolding.
Behind the Medals: A System Transformed
This moment wasn’t born overnight. Over the past few years, CISF has reimagined its approach to sport—from seeing it as an extracurricular activity to embracing it as a national mission aligned with the Government of India’s Khelo Bharat Niti.
Funding for sports rose sixfold, reaching ₹6 crore. Athletes began receiving 300 days of special diet allowances, up from 200. TA/DA provisions were improved to ensure comfort and support during camps. The infrastructure, too, got a facelift—new gyms, medical facilities, and dedicated injury management systems were introduced.
Perhaps most telling of this shift was the appointment of an AIG-level officer at headquarters solely for sports oversight—a powerful symbol that sport was now mission-critical. For the first time, CISF even began forming a mountaineering team, which is already preparing to scale Mount Everest by 2026.
A Force-Wide Talent Hunt
But the real story may lie in the massive recruitment drive that kicked off on July 7, 2025. Spanning 14 selection centers across India, it is the biggest sports intake in CISF’s history. The goal? To bring in 433 new athletes, including 229 women, across 13 new sports teams—from fencing and archery to kayaking, Wushu, and pencak silat.
The numbers are staggering: 12,868 applicants, including 350 international and 3,968 national medal winners, have responded to the call. From the Andaman & Nicobar Islands to the tribal belts of Chhattisgarh and the far corners of the Northeast, young athletes are lining up, chasing not just jobs, but dreams. Dreams that now come with coaching, gear, facilities—and a shot at the world stage.
Olympic Dreams in Uniform
Within this expanding talent pool, CISF is quietly identifying its brightest prospects—those with the skill and mental toughness to aim for the Olympics. These High Performance Athletes, as they’re called internally, are being groomed with tailored international training camps, elite coaching, physiotherapists, dietitians, and strength trainers.
This is no longer about playing well within the force. It’s about standing on the podium with the tricolour flying high.
In a world where uniforms are often symbols of discipline and duty, CISF is reshaping that identity to include excellence, athleticism, and pride on the global stage. The force is no longer just guarding the nation’s infrastructure—it’s shaping its sporting future.
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