Former India spinner Nilesh Kulkarni on Friday said he discussed with sports minister Kiren Rijiju about the development of sports in the country in a recent meeting. Kulkarni’s International Institute of Sports Management (IISM) was bestowed with the ‘Rashtriya Khel Protsahan Award’ for the work done by it.

According to a release issued here, Rijiju emphasised on the need for development of the sports ecosystem in the country to realise his grand vision of seeing India among the top-10 medal winners in 2028 Olympics. The 47-year-old Kulkarni, who has played for Mumbai, agreed with Rijiju’s view on a holistic development of sports in the country. Kulkarni, who turned out for India in three Tests and 10 ODIs, has already stated that it was a matter of pride for his institute to get national recognition. Among other things, IISM has been conducting an in-depth study on various aspects related to sports development.