Hyderabad, 7 October 2026: A programme to make sure India's athletes leave sport with a degree, a job in sight and their self-respect intact was launched today at the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy (PGBA) in Hyderabad. Sports FutureReady, India's first full-fledged career-readiness programme for athletes, begins with the academy's trainees, about 300 in number.
The programme was launched at the PGBA campus by Pullela Gopichand, former All England champion and founder of the academy; R. Subrahmanyam, IAS (Retd.), Chairman of mySATHI Foundation and former Secretary, Higher Education, Government of India; Sujatha Kshirsagar, CEO, CL Educate; and Satya Narayanan R, Founder and Chairman, CL Educate. Athletes and coaches of the academy took part in a workshop on the programme earlier in the day.
The problem it addresses is simple to state. A serious athlete trains for ten years or more. Only a handful reach the podium. Most finish competing at about 22 or so, often with interrupted schooling and no clear route into work. Even medal winners can struggle once their playing days are over.
"It pains me to see athletes who gave their best years to sport left without work, and without the respect they have earned," said Pullela Gopichand. "A job handed out at the end is not the answer. Educate them, skill them and hold their hand while they are still playing, so that they leave sport with their self-respect intact and stand on their own feet. When parents see that, they will send the next child to the court without fear. That work begins at our academy today in collaboration with Career Launcher and mySATHI Foundation."
Sports FutureReady, as a Coaching Program, works alongside training, not after it ends. Each athlete who chooses to take part gets a short assessment of strengths beyond sport, a counsellor, and a personal plan made with the family. School examinations are timed around tournaments. Coaching for college entrance and flexible degrees come from Career Launcher and its partner universities. Workplace skills come from mySATHI Foundation, and apprenticeships and employer meetings from TalEvate. Taking part is voluntary, and nothing in it affects sporting selection.
"For thirty years we have prepared young Indians for what comes next. From today that work includes athletes," said Sujatha Kshirsagar. "Every trainee here who chooses to take part will have an assessment, a counsellor and a personal plan in the coming months. We will report openly on what works and what does not."
A companion through working life
The day also saw the unveiling of YellowDots for sport. YellowDots is a shared digital public platform for talent. It is common infrastructure, open to all, of the kind India has already built for identity and for payments.
"Aadhaar gave every Indian an identity. UPI gave every Indian a way to pay. Talent deserves the same," said Satya Narayanan R. "With YellowDots, an athlete in any town or even village can be seen by a college or an employer. Our own Sriteja, daughter of a farm daily wage worker in Telangana and discovered by Coach Ramesh and now aiming for the 2028 Olympics is an example of what YellowDots can do."
On YellowDots, every athlete has a profile that is updated year after year, recording education, skills and progress. With the athlete's consent, colleges and employers can find them there. The organisers call this a longitudinal talent observatory: a record that follows a person over time, so that help can be offered before a career stalls and not after.
The support does not end with a first job. mySATHI, a name that means "my companion", is designed to stay with a person through their working life, through each change of role, new skill and second career.
Leaders debate how to reach lakhs of athletes
The second part of the day was a closed-door round table of about 15 leaders from sport, government, policy, industry and corporate social responsibility (CSR), co-chaired by R. Subrahmanyam and Pullela Gopichand.
The group debated how the programme can work towards delivering measure milestones in the next 6-12 months and also grow from one academy to the state and the country to benefit lakhs of athletes. The discussion covered the role of state sports associations, how companies can open apprenticeships and jobs, and how CSR funds can support athletes.
"The National Education Policy already lets a young person study flexibly, earn credits and move between study and work. Athletes need that flexibility more than anyone, and have used it the least," said R. Subrahmanyam. "To reach lakhs of them, universities, sports bodies and employers have to work together. And we must measure what marks cannot: how a young person thinks, communicates and works with others."
A summary of the commitments made at the round table will be published within 48 hours.
What comes next
The pilot begins at PGBA with badminton. Over the next twelve months the aim is to deliver some measurable outcomes at PGBA and also bring over 10,000 young athletes onto the programme, across cricket, golf, and the Olympic sports, by working with academies, state associations and sporting bodies.
The timing matters. The Government's revamped Khelo India Scheme for 2026–31 will expand structured athlete development nearly ten-fold. India hosts the Commonwealth Games in 2030 and is bidding for the 2036 Olympics. As more young Indians take up serious sport, more of them will need a pathway beyond it.
About
Sports FutureReady is a career-readiness programme for India's athletes, led by Career Launcher–Sports, an initiative of CL Educate, with mySATHI Foundation, EkStep Foundation and TalEvate.
CL Educate Limited is listed on the NSE and BSE. Its businesses include Career Launcher, one of India's best-known test-preparation brands, and DEXIT Global, an assessment and credentialing platform.
mySATHI Foundation is a not-for-profit working on readiness for higher education, jobs and entrepreneurship, built around four skills: critical thinking, creativity, communication and collaboration. It is chaired by R. Subrahmanyam, IAS (Retd.).
Pullela Gopichand Badminton Academy, Hyderabad, was founded by Pullela Gopichand and has trained many of India's leading badminton players.
YellowDots is a digital public platform for talent, built by a consortium that includes mySATHI Foundation, Career Launcher and IIT Kharagpur and guided by EkStep Foundation. It is in limited roll-out in Ghaziabad and Visakhapatnam.
Media contact: CKN Krishna, Hyderabad(70329-12449 ) or Sujatha Kshirsagar(9971191166)