New Delhi: Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Sunday that starting this year, a variety of games have been launched to cover school sports, martial arts, beaches and water sports, thus expanding the scope of the Khelo India program.
Mandaviya said in launching the Khelo India annual calendar that the government will soon launch a series of Khelo India Games and other games, including Khelo India North-East Games, among others.
The aim is to strengthen India’s sports ecosystem and provide a strategic year-round schedule to promote grassroots competitions and talent identification, he said.
“The Khelo India annual calendar is not only a timeline, but a strategic blueprint that strengthens the domestic competitive structure of India’s transformation into a global sports power,” Mandaviya said.
“In the past decade, sport in India has undergone an amazing transformation. … We have created a vibrant and inclusive sports ecosystem and have conducted regular national competitions under the Khelo India initiative.
“From this vision, we will soon introduce Khelo India Beach Games (Kibg), Khelo India School Games (KISG), Khelo India India Sports, Khelo India North-East Games and more.”
Mandaviya said these events will be crucial in identifying, cultivating and preparing young talents in India.
The Khelo India platform already includes four structured national games, namely Khelo India Youth Games, Khelo India University Games, Khelo India Para Games and Khelo India Winter Games.
Khelo India School Games (KISG) will pay special attention to the sport that will follow a layered structure, starting at the regional level, moving to the state level, and reaching its peak in competitions at the national level.
Activities including Khelo India Martial Arts Games, Khelo India Tribal Games and Khelo India Swadeshi Games are intended to bring indigenous and traditional martial arts to the mainstream, the Ministry of Sports said.
The first edition of Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG) will be held in Diu from May 19-25, which will attract national attention to coastal and beach sports, while also highlighting the region’s tourism potential.
Calendars for the rest of the year include such as Khelo India School Games (August to December), Khelo India University Games (March to April), Water and Northeast Games (May-June), Tribal Games (September in Chhattisgarh), and Indigenous and Martial Arts Games (July – Tamil Nadu and Calendar in Martial Arts).
