5th Khelo India Youth Games begins in Bhopal, CM Shivraj says ‘no fund deficit in promoting sporting talent’

New Delhi: Fifth edition of Khelo India Youth Games kicked off in Bhopal of Madhya Pradesh on Monday, with Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur & Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan participating in the inaugural function at Tatya Tope Nagar Stadium.

The Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), having started five years ago, were successfully organized in Haryana last year. This year, the games will see more than 6000 players from across the country showcasing their sporting skills in as many as 27 disciplines in Madhya Pradesh’s Bhopal. These players will be vying for more than 900 trophies including 300 gold medals in various tournament of the Games.

Addressing the inaugural event, Anurag Thakur elucidated the steps taken by Modi government to take sports to the remote & rural regions of the country. He said that 5 years ago, budget of Rs 2700 crore was allocated for Khelo India Games and now that has been hiked by Rs 500 crores for next 5 years period.

He also lauded Madhya Pradesh government for coming forward to host the event and expressed hope that players will set new milestones in this edition too.

खेलो इंडिया यूथ गेम्स पिछली बार जब हरियाणा में हुआ तो 12 नेशनल रिकार्ड्स तोड़े गए और उनमे से 11 लड़कियों ने तोड़े थे। अब मध्यप्रदेश की धरती पर देखते हैं कितने रिकॉर्ड टूटने वाले है।

-श्री @ianuragthakur#KIYG2022 #KheloIndiaInMP pic.twitter.com/fsLDl6lCWr

— Office of Mr. Anurag Thakur (@Anurag_Office) January 30, 2023

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that “Khelo India Youth Games will be historic in the state and also asserted that there will be no shortage of funds in enhancing the talent of sportspersons and also promoting new sporting talent in the state.

The Chief Minister said that 11 sports academies have been set up for 18 sports in the state.

8 MP cities to host Youth Games

Madhya Pradesh government has rolled out red carpet for the players while taking a vow to nurture new local talent. The games will be held in 8 cities of the state including Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Mandla, Balaghat and Maheshwar.

About 13,000 officers & 2,000 volunteers have been deployed to make the 13-day event a success.

देशभर से #KheloIndiaInMP में 6000 खिलाड़ी आए हैं और अगले 13 दिनों तक 9 शहरों में खेलेंगे। मध्यप्रदेश के खिलाड़ी यदि पदक जीतेंगे तो उनको आगे की तैयारियों के लिए ₹5 लाख प्रतिवर्ष दिया जाएगा।

भोपाल में खेलो इंडिया यूथ गेम्स का शुभारंभ किया। @kheloindia https://t.co/oDZfJEhuzy pic.twitter.com/oT32fmH0GF

— Shivraj Singh Chouhan (@ChouhanShivraj) January 30, 2023

The Khelo India Youth Games was started in 2018 on the advice of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Around 6,000 players from across the country will be vying for 900 medals nder various categories. There are also 300 gold medals in 27 disciplines.

Kayaking, fencing included in Youth Games, for 1st time

As many sports like kayaking, canoeing, canoe slalom and fencing have been included for the first time, in Madhya Pradesh edition of Khelo India Youth Games.

The objective of these Games is to find and groom talents at local level and train them for national and international competitions like Asiad, Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games.

In the last edition of KIYG in Haryana, Madhya Pradesh players had won 38 medals.