Khelo India University Games 2021: Bengaluru gears up for the sporting extravaganza
The 2021 Khelo India University Games will be played at the Jain University in Bengaluru. The games will get underway on April 24 and conclude on May 3.
FollowIt will be the most significant competitive sporting event in the country in the post-pandemic era, as the Khelo India University Games 2021 will be played from April 24. It will be played at the Jain University in Bengaluru, concluding on May 3. The platform will give budding athletes from universities across India opportunities to showcase their talents.
More than 4,500 participants will be featured in the tournament, representing 190 universities. The competition will consist of 20 different sports, including some indigenous sports, while Mallakhamba and Yogasana will be making their debut. Other sports are weightlifting, wrestling, judo, kabaddi, volleyball, swimming, archery, fencing, karate, boxing, table tennis, badminton, tennis, shooting and football.
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Speaking on the same, Dr KC Narayana Gowda (Minister of state youth empowerment and sports) said, “We are delighted to host the second edition of Khelo India University Games in Jain deemed-to-be University. It is a great initiative under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which will provide the right platform for aspiring athletes to step up their performance at the national level and get to experience a mega multi-discipline Games. The Karnataka Government is ensuring all preparations are in place so these budding stars can experience a unique Games. We want to ensure the best infrastructure for them to compete. We have received unparalleled support from the Union Ministry of Sports and SAI, and our officials are also working round-the-clock to make sure all participating universities have a memorable Games and enjoy the hospitality of Karnataka.”
Besides the Jain University, Jain Sports School and Sports Authority of India (SAI) Southern Centre will also host some of the sports during the tournament, as all the campuses boast world-class facilities. The Kanteerava Stadium has a newly-laid synthetic turf for athletics to be used for the first time. At the same time, the Field Marshal Cariappa Stadium underwent renovation recently and will play host to hockey. Also, the Karnataka Government has taken the ‘Green Games’ to protect the environment, as no plastics will be used during the Games.
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Sujata Chaturvedi (IAS, Secretary Sports, Government of India) stated, “The Khelo India Scheme of the Union Government launched in 2016 delivers the double purpose of broad-basing sports at the grass-root level while fuelling excellence in sports. The Khelo India University Games, envisioned by Honourable PM, is organised under the aegis of the Khelo India Scheme and was started with the thought that in all developed countries, Universities act as the bedrock of sporting talent for international competitions such as the Olympics and India should look at University athletes with more seriousness.”
“The Khelo India Games is unique because we host it in association with a new state every year, thus ensuring that sports culture is spread across the country. The first edition of KIUG was held in Odisha and was a major success, with around 3150 athletes participating in KIUG 2022, hosted by the Government of Karnataka. The numbers have gone up by 50 per cent, with more than 4500 athletes participating. The popularity and importance of KIUG are definitely on the rise. A large number of participants and the high level of technical conduct of the Games in state-of-art venues make the Khelo India University Games one of the biggest University-level Games in the world, and I am confident that these Games will throw up many more champions this year,” added Sujata.
