Several soccer players of Indian origin competed in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including Tahsin Moham- med Jamshid, a forward for Qatar; Sarpreet Singh, a midfielder for New Zealand; and Samuel Moutoussamy, a midfielder for Democratic Republic of the Congo.Athletes with roots in India may find it easier in the future to represent the country of their forebears. According to Indian sports website Khel Now, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has submitted a proposal to the Government of India for a sports passport that would allow eligible Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) athletes to represent India in international competitions.
Khel Now reports that the sports passport could make India more competitive in a number of sports, but most significantly in soccer, basketball and tennis, emulating other countries that have managed to widen their talent pool. India does not allow dual citizenship, which means that an athlete would have to give up citizenship in another country to accept Indian citizenship.
Compiled and partly written by Indian humorist MELVIN DURAI, author of the novel Bala Takes the Plunge. [Comments? Contributions? Please email us at melvin@melvindurai.com. We welcome jokes, quotes, online clips, and more.]