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Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions

Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons to Group C Posts in the Central Government (DoPT Sports Quota)

Under instructions of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), central government ministries and departments can directly recruit meritorious sportspersons to Group C posts (including erstwhile Group D) that are filled by direct recruitment, in relaxation of the normal recruitment procedure. The list of qualifying sports has 65 disciplines (63 listed in 2020, with Tennis Ball Cricket added in January 2021 and Yogasana in June 2022). Kudo, Karate, Taekwondo, Golf, Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, Badminton, Cricket and Tennis are among them. Railways and a few scientific and atomic-energy services follow separate rules.

Source unreachable· 13 Oct 2026
Government scheme
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Our automated check could not reach the official source, so the detail below has not been re-confirmed.
Last updated: 8 Oct 2026· Source: DoPT consolidated instructions on recruitment/promotion of sportspersons, OM dated 4 March 2024 (copy circulated by EPFO)
Checked against a primary document
When this entry was written, the eligibility, benefits, amount and application details below were cross-checked against DoPT consolidated instructions on recruitment/promotion of sportspersons, OM dated 4 March 2024 (copy circulated by EPFO) (DoPT OM No. 14034/1/2020-Pers. Policy (D) Pt. Vol.II dated 4 March 2024), but the live source has since changed or become unreadable — see the note above.
Eligibility, benefits, amounts and deadlines are set by the implementing government department and change without notice. Always confirm the current terms on the official source linked on each page before applying.

Overview

Under instructions of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), central government ministries and departments can directly recruit meritorious sportspersons to Group C posts (including erstwhile Group D) that are filled by direct recruitment, in relaxation of the normal recruitment procedure. The list of qualifying sports has 65 disciplines (63 listed in 2020, with Tennis Ball Cricket added in January 2021 and Yogasana in June 2022). Kudo, Karate, Taekwondo, Golf, Judo, Boxing, Wrestling, Badminton, Cricket and Tennis are among them. Railways and a few scientific and atomic-energy services follow separate rules.

Key details

Amount / benefit value
Upper age limit relaxation of up to 5 years (10 years for SC/ST candidates); sports quota within the 50% overall reservation ceiling for direct recruitment.
Official guidelines PDF
📄 Download PDF ↗
Official website
https://epfindia.gov.in/site_docs/PDFs/Circulars/Y2024-2025/Circular_RecruitmentOfMeritoriousSportsperson_SSAEPFO.pdf ↗

Note: The EPFO copy is the DoPT memorandum itself, which EPFO circulated for its own recruitment. Individual recruitment notices set the posts, vacancies and exam dates; there is no deadline or open round for the scheme as a whole.

Official documents

Notices and PDFs published by the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, including earlier years. Links checked 2026-10-06.

Eligibility

  • ▸ Has represented a State or the country in a national or international competition; or is a medal winner in Junior National Championships, Khelo India Youth Games (age category above 18), Khelo India Winter Games, Khelo India Para Games, Khelo India University Games or School Games Federation of India events, in a listed sport.
  • ▸ Has represented a university in inter-university tournaments conducted by the Inter-University Sports Boards, or a State school team in the National School Games, in a listed sport.
  • ▸ Chess: Grandmaster or International Master title (open category) or Chess Olympiad participation; medals in the National Team Chess Championship also count.
  • ▸ Must meet the age, educational and experience qualifications of the post, apart from the permitted relaxations.
  • ▸ Order of preference: first those who represented the country internationally with Sports Ministry clearance, then medallists in senior or junior national championships or National Games, then inter-university and Khelo India medallists, then school-team medallists, then participants without a medal.

Benefits

  • ✓ Direct appointment to Group C posts (and erstwhile Group D posts) filled by direct recruitment, other than through the UPSC.
  • ✓ Ministries can recruit meritorious sportspersons in a year up to a level where these and all other reservations together do not exceed 50% of the vacancies to be filled by direct recruitment; where the Staff Selection Commission handles the recruitment, appointing authorities can notify vacancies reduced by up to 5% to fill with sportspersons.
  • ✓ Upper age limit relaxation of up to 5 years (10 years for SC/ST candidates).
  • ✓ No appointment to Group A or Group B posts by direct recruitment.

Application process

There is no single application. Recruitment is through advertisements of vacancies (Employment News and ministry or Staff Selection Commission notices) and applicants submit the prescribed certificate: from the Secretary of the National Federation for international competitions; from the Secretary of the National Federation or State Association for national competitions; from the university's Dean of Sports for inter-university tournaments; from the State Director of Public Instruction for school games; and from the officer designated by SAI for Khelo India Games. Check each recruitment notice for the sports quota.

Official link
https://epfindia.gov.in/site_docs/PDFs/Circulars/Y2024-2025/Circular_RecruitmentOfMeritoriousSportsperson_SSAEPFO.pdf ↗
Application referrals
—visitors referred

Apply via: There is no single application. Recruitment is through advertisements of vacancies (Employment News and ministry or Staff Selection Commission notices) and applicants submit the prescribed certificate: from the Secretary of the National Federation for international competitions; from the Secretary of the National Federation or State Association for national competitions; from the university's Dean of Sports for inter-university tournaments; from the State Director of Public Instruction for school games; and from the officer designated by SAI for Khelo India Games. Check each recruitment notice for the sports quota.