ONGC has announced its Sports Scholarship Scheme 2026–27 under the Podium Aspirants category.
Thousands of athletes in India train every single day, but for many of them, managing training, diet, travel and competition expenses is a constant struggle. The pressure to earn money becomes so high that many talented athletes are eventually forced to leave the sport they love simply because they don’t have enough financial support.
But now, there is some good news.
ONGC is supporting athletes through its Sports Scholarship Scheme 2026–27, providing financial assistance to both male and female athletes, with scholarships of up to ₹70,000 per month. So, if you’re an athlete looking for financial support to continue your sporting journey, this opportunity could be very important for you.
Who Can Apply — Eligibility
You must meet all of these:
- Citizenship: Indian citizen only.
- Age: 18–30 years, meaning date of birth between 1 Sept 1996 and 1 Sept 2008. Proof: birth certificate OR 10th class board marksheet.
- Family income: Parents’ income must not exceed ₹30 lakh/year. Proof: latest income certificate or parents’ ITR.
- No other job/scholarship: You must not be currently employed by, or receiving any scholarship/stipend/contract from, any Central Govt., State Govt., PSU, foundation, or private organization.
- Performance window: Only achievements between 1 Jan 2025 and the application closing date are counted. Last Olympics/Asian Games participants also considered.
Sports Covered & Number of Slots (125 total: 96 male, 29 female)
| Sport | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| Athletics | 5 | 5 |
| Badminton | 3 | 3 |
| Basketball | 9 | — |
| Chess | 2 | 1 |
| Cricket | 12 | — |
| Football | 12 | — |
| Hockey | 10 | — |
| Kabaddi | 11 | — |
| Squash | 2 | 2 |
| Table Tennis | 2 | 3 |
| Tennis | 2 | 2 |
| Volleyball | 9 | — |
| Swimming | 2 | 2 |
| Archery | 3 | 2 |
| Boxing | 3 | 2 |
| Para Sports | 3 | 2 |
| Shooting | 3 | 3 |
| Wrestling | 2 | 2 |
| Golf | 1 | — |
How Selection Works (differs by sport type)
This is important because the selection process is different for different sports.
🏸 Ranking-Based Sports
This includes:
Badminton, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Golf and Chess
Your best national or international ranking by the application deadline will be considered.
For example:
- International Rank 1–30 → 70 marks
- Rank 31–60 → 60 marks
- Rank 61–100 → 50 marks
For national rankings, marks can be awarded up to National Rank 16.
If you’re outside the required ranking range, you may receive zero marks.
Performance-Based Sports
This includes: Athletics, Archery, Boxing, Para Sports, Shooting, Swimming and Wrestling
Here, your single best performance in a recognised competition between 1 January 2025 and the application deadline will be considered.
Depending on the level of your achievement, you can score from 20 to 70 marks. For example, an Olympic gold medal carries the highest score.
Team Sports
This applies to: Basketball, Cricket, Football, Hockey, Kabaddi and Volleyball
Selection happens in two stages.
Stage 1 — Sports Achievement:
Your certificates can give you up to 70 marks. You need at least 15 marks to qualify for the next stage.
Stage 2 — Game Trial:
The trial carries another 30 marks. But there is an important condition: You must score at least 22.5 marks out of 30 in the trial.
If you score less than 22.5, you will not be selected, even if your achievement score is high. Trials will be held in Delhi/NCR or another venue decided by ONGC.
ONGC will not provide TA/DA for travelling to the trial.
Special Rule for Chess
Chess has a separate rating requirement:
- Men: FIDE rating of 2500+
- Women: FIDE rating of 2350+
You must also have played rated tournaments during the eligibility period. If there is a tie, the athlete with the higher rating gets preference.
How Much Scholarship Money Will You Get?
The scholarship can go up to ₹70,000 per month.
| Achievement Level | Monthly Scholarship |
|---|---|
| Junior National medal / Junior international participation / Senior National participation | ₹40,000 |
| Junior international medal / Senior National medal / Senior international participation | ₹50,000 |
| Senior Asian/Commonwealth medal / Olympic, Asian or Commonwealth Games participation | ₹60,000 |
| Olympic, Asian or Commonwealth Games medal | ₹70,000 |
How Long Will You Get the Scholarship?
The scholarship is initially awarded for 1 year.It can be extended for up to 3 years, depending on your performance each year. So this isn’t automatically a three-year scholarship you have to maintain your performance.
Application Dates
The application process will be completely online.
- Applications Open: 8 September 2026, 11:00 AM
- Last Date: 29 September 2026, 4:00 PM
- Application Website: sportsscholarship.ongc.co.in
- Offline or email applications will not be accepted.
Read the complete official PDF for all details and eligibility criteria: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1sKV4GU-kqUXaEROq1zHAp5MmxxIKQpwh/view?usp=sharing