New Delhi, Jul 10 (IANS): In a first-time endeavour, 46 eminent athletes, men and women, will get direct admission to the flagship diploma course in sports coaching at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) in Patiala, from the session of 2020-21 onwards.

This decision was announced by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju in May. Now, it has been decided to relax a few of the admission criteria earlier stated.

While the educational qualification from entry to the course remains 10+2 for all eminent athletes, changes have been brought about in the sports achievements criteria so as to allow more Asian and Commonwealth medallists and participants of Senior World Championships to enrol for the course.

Earlier, it was mandatory for an applicant to have won a medal in the Senior World Championship, however, in the new criteria athletes who have participated in the event are also eligible to apply. The criteria of winning a gold medal in the Asian or Commonwealth Games has been replaced by winning a medal - gold, silver or bronze - in either of the events. Elite athletes who have participated in Olympics are automatically qualified to apply for the course.

The 46 eminent athletes will be chosen for 23 sports (1 male, 1 female coach in each discipline), and will not have to appear for the entrance exam, which has been made online for the first-ever time in the history of the course. All eminent athletes who are shortlisted for the course directly, will however have to take the medical and physical tests alongside other candidates.

In case of two eminent athletes applying from the same discipline, a point-system has been put in place to identify the final candidate.

In view of the relaxation in the criteria for eminent athletes, it has also been decided to extend the last date of submission of online application for enrolment to the course to July 31.

For other candidates whose educational qualification required in a graduation degree, it has been decided that in keeping with the current situation of the coronavirus pandemic, candidates who are awaiting final year results of graduation level degree courses or if universities that they are enrolled in are yet to conduct final examination of the graduation-level degree courses, can also apply online for the admission to the diploma course but have to produce the final year passing certificate by September 30 to be eligible for the course.