What is Khelo India Youth Games? Know history and past winners

Artists perform during the final rehearsal on the eve of the opening of Khelo India Youth Games (Pic: PTI)

Khelo India Youth Games 2024 is an initiative by the Indian government to encourage the youth of India to participate in different sporting events. The government of India also aims to provide a better infrastructure for sports across the country. It is held in the months of January or February for Under-17 and Under-21 categories.

The Khelo India Youth Games provides youngsters to showcase their talents in front of the country on a competitive level.

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Back in the year 2018, the Khelo India School Games were started in New Delhi. The programme came into the limelight when the Indian Olympic Association linked up with the initiative and thus, was later renamed as Khelo India Youth Games.

In 2018, sports like Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Shooting, Volleyball, Wrestling, Weightlifting and Shooting were included in the Khelo India Youth Games. Later five more sports were added to the tally namely gatka, Kalaripayattu, Thang-ta, Mallakhamb and Yogasana. The list was further extended by including water sports like Canoeing, Kayaking and Rowing.

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The player selected will represent his/her state or university. Each medal won by a player or team will be added to the tally of their respective state or Union Territory. The most successful states in the previous editions are Maharashtra and Haryana.

The top 1,000 athletes with the most unique talents will be awarded a scholarship worth Rs 5 lakh.

In the year 2018, Haryana was the first state to register its name on the winning list. Maharashtra consecutively won the two editions of the Khelo India Youth Games in 2019 and 2020. In 2021, the hosts Haryana came victorious and Maharashtra was placed in second rank.

In the Khelo India Youth Games 2023, Maharashtra won the most number of medals. The 2024 edition will be the sixth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games which will be hosted by Tamil Nadu. A new sport will be added this year, Silambam. It is an Indian martial art originating in Tamil Nadu.

Enormous competition is predicted for the Khelo India Youth Games 2024 as athletes across the country prepare for the most awaited competition in India.