Prof. Achyuta Samanta, founder of KIIT and KISS in Bhubaneswar, has been unanimously elected the first President of the Indian UniSport Federation (IUSF). The election took place at the federation’s first Annual General Meeting in New Delhi on 11 October 2026, with representatives of 27 state and regional university sports associations present. The new body, approved by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, will bring universities onto a common platform to find and train sporting talent.
What Is the Indian UniSport Federation?
The Indian UniSport Federation (IUSF) is the national level body for university sports in India. It has been formed with the approval of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports to give all universities a single and coordinated platform for sports.
The federation will support the identification, development, training and progression of sporting talent in universities. It follows an athlete centred approach. This means fair opportunity to compete and move ahead, regardless of background or institution.
The IUSF has placed clear rules and accountable governance at the centre of its work. It has committed to publish audited annual accounts, details of sports related spending, and information on the use of membership and registration fees. A uniform annual subscription of ₹50,000 has been proposed for both government and private institutions, with no player participation fee, to keep costs low and decisions open to scrutiny.
First AGM in New Delhi: Election and Key Decisions
The first Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the IUSF was held in New Delhi on 11 October 2026. Representatives of 27 state and regional university sports associations attended the meeting. Prof. Achyuta Samanta was elected unanimously as the first President.
The AGM also finalised the core leadership team of the federation. The team brings together university administrators, coaches and former athletes.
| Post | Name |
|---|---|
| President | Prof. Achyuta Samanta |
| Vice Presidents | Prof. Rajesh Tripathi, U. V. Shankar, Prof. Kalpana Sharma, Kanwar Mandeep Singh |
| Secretary General | Binu George Varghese |
| Treasurer | Bhasker Shukla |
| Joint Secretaries | Kavita Kholgade, Kaukab Azeem |
| Executive Members | V. Mahadevan, Aminul Haq, Dolla Banerjee, Sagar Joshi, Anju Bobby George, Rajiv Tomar |
After his election, Prof. Samanta thanked the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya (as of October 2026) for approving the federation. He said university sport must give every talented athlete a fair chance. He also called for joint work to prepare Indian athletes for the upcoming Commonwealth Games in India.
The federation laid out clear priorities for the coming years. It will promote university leagues and regular competitions. It will create fair pathways to events such as the Khelo India Games. It will improve access to quality coaching, sports science, nutrition, injury prevention and rehabilitation, along with education and financial support for leading athletes. This university athlete pipeline is linked to the larger national goal of preparing for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Olympic Games.
Who Is Achyuta Samanta? KIIT and KISS Background
Dr. Achyuta Samanta is an educationist and social worker from Odisha. He was born in Kalarabanka in Cuttack district and lost his father at the age of four. He worked as a chemistry lecturer before starting his institutions with only ₹5,000 in 1992.
The Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT) started in two rented rooms in Bhubaneswar with 12 students. KIIT received deemed to be university status in 2004 and was later recognised as an Institution of Eminence. KIIT Bhubaneswar now has nearly 40,000 students from all parts of India and more than 70 countries. It is spread across a large academic township with 30 campuses and has been accredited with NAAC A++ grade.
The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) started in 1992 to 1993 with 125 tribal children. KISS provides completely free and residential education from kindergarten to post graduation, along with food, accommodation, health care and vocational training. KISS now supports nearly 80,000 tribal students and received deemed to be university status in 2017. It is the first and only university in India set up exclusively for tribal students.
Sports has been central to the KIIT and KISS model. The campuses have more than 30 sports facilities with professional coaching, sports science, nutrition, medical care and rehabilitation support. KIIT and KISS have produced 23 Olympians and open their grounds to more than 1,50,000 athletes every year for training and events. At the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, 54 students from KIIT and KISS represented India and won 21 medals, including three gold, seven silver and 11 bronze medals. For this work, KIIT received the Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Puruskar in 2022.
Prof. Samanta has also led sports administration at the national level. He served as President of the Volleyball Federation of India and currently heads the Odisha Volleyball Association. He is associated with the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) and has received its highest honour for promotion of volleyball and chess. KIIT and KISS also serve as nodal centres for the FIFA Football for Schools programme in Asia.
University Sports Ecosystem in India
India has nearly 4.5 crore students studying in universities. The IUSF will work within an existing system that already includes the Association of Indian Universities and the Khelo India University Games. Understanding these two pillars shows where the new federation fits in.
What Is the Association of Indian Universities?
The Association of Indian Universities (AIU) is the apex body for universities in India. AIU is headquartered in New Delhi and represents more than 1,200 member universities. It guides academic cooperation and also runs university sports through its Inter University Sports Board.
The AIU publishes an annual AIU sports calendar with zonal and all India inter university tournaments. The provisional calendar for 2026 to 2027 was prepared after meetings on 8 July 2026 in Chennai and 7 August 2026 online. Host universities conduct tournaments across disciplines, from athletics on synthetic tracks to team games like hockey and basketball. AIU also plans High Performance Training Centres in four zones for wrestling, swimming, archery and shooting, in coordination with National Sports Federations and the Sports Authority of India.
What Is the Khelo India University Games?
The Khelo India University Games (KIUG) is a national multi sport event for university athletes aged under 25 years. It is part of the Khelo India Scheme, the flagship central sector scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. The scheme links sports with education, fitness and high performance training.
The first KIUG was held in 2020 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha. The event has grown steadily since then, with more than 63,000 athletes taking part across all Khelo India Games since 2018. The fifth edition was held in seven cities of Rajasthan from 24 November to 5 December 2025, with 4,448 athletes from 222 universities competing in 23 medal sports. Kho kho was included as a demonstration sport.
| Edition | Year | Host |
|---|---|---|
| First | 2020 | Bhubaneswar, Odisha |
| Second | 2022 | Karnataka |
| Third | 2023 | Uttar Pradesh |
| Fourth | 2024 | Northeast India |
| Fifth | 2025 | Rajasthan (Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota, Bharatpur) |
The Khelo India Youth Games is a separate event for athletes under 18 years of age. The University Games is for athletes under 25 years of age studying in universities. The IUSF plans to build fair selection pathways from university leagues and AIU tournaments to the Khelo India University Games and then to international events.
International Linkage: FISU and the World University Games
FISU stands for Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire in French. In English, it means the International University Sports Federation. It is the sole recognised global body for university sport, founded in 1949 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland.
FISU brings together 167 countries across more than 60 sports. Its main event is the FISU World University Games, earlier called the Universiade. The name was changed to World University Games in 2020. Summer and Winter Games are held every two years in odd numbered years for athletes aged 17 to 25 years who are enrolled in higher education. The Rhine Ruhr 2025 Summer Games in Germany drew more than 9,200 participants from over 100 countries in 18 sports.
The IUSF has said it will build closer ties with FISU and other international university sports bodies. The aim is to give Indian university athletes more chances to compete abroad and to develop Indian venues to host major events to global standards. Strong national leagues, open trials and links with FISU events will help India turn university campuses into nurseries for future Olympians.
Key Takeaways
- Prof. Achyuta Samanta was unanimously elected the first President of the Indian UniSport Federation at its first AGM in New Delhi on 11 October 2026.
- The IUSF is approved by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and was joined by 27 state and regional university sports associations at its first meeting.
- The federation proposed a uniform annual subscription of ₹50,000 with no player participation fee and publication of audited accounts.
- KIIT, founded in 1992 in Bhubaneswar, now has nearly 40,000 students, while KISS supports nearly 80,000 tribal students with free residential education.
- The Khelo India University Games, started in 2020, is an under 25 event, while FISU, founded in 1949 and based in Lausanne, runs the biennial World University Games.
