Khelo India Beach Games 2026 Preview: More Than 1,300 Athletes To Compete In Second Edition

India’s coastline is set to transform into a national sporting arena with the Khelo India Beach Games about to be held in Diu from January 5 to 10, 2026, promising a vibrant celebration of beach and indigenous sports.

The second edition of the Games will bring together over 1,300 athletes from across the country, representing 31 States and Union Territories, including 25 States and six UTs. The Games will feature competition across six medal disciplines — Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball, Beach Sepaktakraw, Beach Kabaddi, Beach Pencak Silat and Open Water Swimming — accounting for 786 competing athletes, including 366 women and 420 men.

Discipline-wise, participation includes 263 athletes in Beach Sepaktakraw, 157 in Beach Pencak Silat, 156 in Beach Soccer, 96 in Beach Kabaddi, 64 in Beach Volleyball and 50 in Open Water Swimming. In addition to the competitive events, traditional Indian disciplines such as Mallakhamb and Tug of War will be conducted as non-competitive demonstration events, featuring 336 athletes.

Athletes from coastal as well as landlocked regions will converge on the sands of Diu, with strong contingents from states such as Maharashtra, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Manipur, alongside Union Territories including Chandigarh, Puducherry, and Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu.

Manipur enters the Games with added confidence after emerging as the top-performing state in the previous Khelo India cycle, finishing with 14 medals, including five gold, setting the stage for high-intensity competition at this year’s Beach Games.

Beyond medals and podium finishes, the Khelo India Beach Games 2026 aim to build a broader sporting movement by expanding opportunities in emerging beach disciplines, encouraging youth participation beyond traditional sports and geographies, and fostering community pride, cultural identity and sustainable sports development.