The research engine behind the ecosystem.
The Sports and Physical Activity (SAPA) Centre is GoSports' research and policy arm — advancing standards, measurement, and implementation pathways for a stronger, more coordinated sporting ecosystem in India.
Incubated by the Sports and Society Accelerator
The SAPA Centre was incubated in 2025 by the Sports and Society Accelerator (SSA) — a public-spirited, independent not-for-profit co-founded in 2022 by Nandan Kamath, GoSports Foundation's own Managing Trustee, together with Desh Gaurav Sekhri.
SSA works to strengthen the role of sport and physical activity in Indian society, convening government, civil society, philanthropy, academia, sport, health, and education around a more participative, outcomes-oriented approach. In 2025, SSA was recognised as a National Sports Promotion Organisation by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Government of India.
Because of that shared leadership, GoSports treats the SAPA Centre as the research and policy engine behind its own on-the-ground work — the two operate as distinct organisations, closely linked in mission and people.
The Sports Ecosystem Stack
Seven discrete, yet interconnected and non-hierarchical layers that are critical to a thriving sports ecosystem — recognising that sport is both a pathway to excellence and a public good in itself.
Excellence Layer
Medals · Process excellence
Governance Layer
Accountability · Stakeholder participation
Innovation Layer
Incentives · Platforms
Capacity Layer
Ecosystem-building · Return on investment
Policy Layer
Funding · Skill development
Knowledge Layer
Narrative · Social feedback loops
Participation Layer
Participant access · Non-participating contribution
This is the same framework GoSports refers to elsewhere on this site as the SAPA Stack — it underpins how we assess, shape, enable, and build across every programme.
Assess. Shape. Enable. Build.
Assess
System gaps through research and insights.
Shape
Priorities and policy processes.
Enable
Coordinated action across stakeholders and systems.
Build
System capacity for scale through tools, standards, and measurement.
What you can access
Publications
Research, policy briefs, and toolkits on sport and physical activity in India, including India-first frameworks and glossaries.
Methodology
The full Sports Ecosystem Stack, and the Assess–Shape–Enable–Build approach behind it.
Convenings
National gatherings bringing together government, academia, and practitioners to build consensus on shared standards.