TLDR: KHELEGI, a new sports-for-social-impact initiative supported by the IOC, has launched to keep adolescent girls in sport by addressing dropout barriers and creating safe, joyful play spaces, starting its pilot program in Dharavi, Mumbai.
Today marks the official launch of KHELEGI, a sports-for-social-impact initiative dedicated to keeping girls in sport during adolescence, a stage when 49% of girls drop out of sport, a rate six times higher than boys (UNESCO).
Supported by the IOC Young Leaders Programme through Olympism365 of the International Olympic Committee, KHELEGI addresses the barriers that prevent girls from participating in sport, including menstrual stigma and lack of awareness, unsafe play spaces, gendered norms, inadequate facilities, economic pressures, and limited role models.
“KHELEGI is a promise, a vision, and a declaration: every young person has the right to stay in the game, access opportunity, and thrive through sport,” said Laher Gala, Founder of KHELEGI. “Keeping girls in sport empowers them to grow with confidence, resilience, and opportunity, while also nurturing a stronger, more inclusive ecosystem for women in sports. It creates leaders, role models, and a new generation of athletes who can break barriers and redefine possibility”
Launching in Dharavi
KHELEGI aims to begin its pilot programme in Dharavi, Mumbai, working directly with local schools, communities, and sports organisations to create safe, inclusive, and joyful play spaces for girls. The pilot will inform future scale-up strategies, ensuring programs are tailored to community needs and sustainable for the long term.
A Movement Built for Impact
KHELEGI is research-backed, community-driven, and ecosystem-focused. The initiative leverages a holistic process that includes:
• Capacity building and ecosystem engagement
• Iterative feedback and measurement
• Expert-backed curriculum design
• Collaborative implementation and advocacy
Through this process, KHELEGI strengthens local leaders, amplifies community voices, and creates programs designed to scale, sustain, and transform sports experiences for girls.
Tackling the Dropout Crisis
Nearly half of adolescent girls (49%) drop out of sport during puberty, six times higher than boys. Globally, 85% of adolescent girls are insufficiently active, and only 7% of schools provide equal PE time to boys and girls. When girls leave sport, communities lose leadership, confidence, health, economic growth, and innovation. KHELEGI directly responds to this crisis, ensuring that girls can participate through puberty and menstruation, with dignity, safety, and joy.
Join the Movement
KHELEGI invites schools, organisations, communities, and allies to join the movement to rewrite the game and ensure that no girl is left out of sport.
