Inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games To Kick Off In Chhattisgarh On March 25; 1300 Athletes In Action

Close to 1300 athletes from across the country will be seen in action across nine disciplines in the first ever Khelo India Tribal Games starting in Chhattisgarh on Wednesday.

The Games will be held at three venues in Chhattisgarh -- Raipur, Jagdalpur and Sarguja -- and 106 gold medals will be up for grabs.

Odisha has fielded the largest contingent of 125 athletes from among the 30 participating states and union territories. Hosts Chhattisgarh (121), Jharkhand (107) and Assam (106) will also have sizeable presence at the Games.

Medals will be awarded in archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling. Traditional sports like mallakhamb and kabaddi will be the demonstration sports.

Overall close to 3800 participants, including coaches and officials, will take part in the Games that will end on April 3.

"For me and for all of us, it is a matter of great pride that this championship is being started in the country for the first time. It is a very good opportunity for all the youth and tribal players to showcase their talent and move forward in sports, and to play for the country," tribal hockey star and current Hockey India head Dilip Tirkey told SAI media.

"Our Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi’s vision is to make India a sporting nation. He wants all youth to be connected with sports and to play one game or another," he added.

The maximum gold medals will be in athletics (34). Swimming (24), wrestling (18), weightlifting (16) and archery (10) will also have gold medals at stake in double digits.

Hockey and football will be the two team games and both will be played in Raipur. Athletics will be held in Jagdalpur while Sarguja will host wrestling.

"Hon’ble Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya also wants that through sports, our athletes, especially tribal athletes, can build better careers, improve their lives, and represent the country. I also firmly believe that every tribal child has a dream," Tirkey said.

"I myself come from a tribal family, and through sports, through hockey, I have been able to reach where I am today. I believe that all the tribal children participating in this tournament have a bright future ahead. Even earlier, many tribal athletes have represented the country and have become icons in our tribal society," he added.

National 100m and 200m record holder Animesh Kujur echoed the sentiment.

"There are many places in India where sports haven't reached. This makes the Khelo India Tribal Games all the more special," he said.

All participating athletes have come through trials conducted by National Sports Federations. The performance of the athletes will be monitored by coaches appointed by the Sports Authority of India.