Published 11:28 IST, January 10th 2020
Khelo India Games to be inaugurated on Jan 10; Rijiju hails Guwahati as 'Sports Capital'
The 3rd edition of Khelo India Games will be inaugurated on January 10, with fanfare. Participation is expected to exceed 6,800 athletes from 27 states and UTs.
The third edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will be inaugurated in Guwahati on Friday evening on January 10, with fanfare. The games are expected to see the participation of 6,800 athletes from 27 states and union territories competing in 20 sports.
The games begin
Kiren Rijiju, the Minister of State of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports is excited and in a tweet on Friday morning, stated that it was a "big day" and that it was important to support the players make India a sporting nation.
The Khelo India program has been introduced to revive the sports culture in India at the grass-root level by building a strong framework for all sports played in our country and establish India as a great sporting nation.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, in a release, said, "The competition has started a sporting revolution in India and we couldn't be more proud of the fact that the tournament is being held in Assam. I wish the athletes all the very best."
The games will also witness a traditional Mizo sport 'Insuknawr'. In the sport, two players try to push each other out of a ring by holding a bamboo or wooden staff. The official said the Mizoram State Sports' Council has been asked to send players to the event to demonstrate the game on January 14.
Six players accompanied by two officials from the Mizoram Indigenous Games Association will be sent to Guwahati for it, he said. Insuknawr is one of the most important indigenous sports of Mizoram and a representation of the game is on the emblem of the state sports council.
Updated 11:28 IST, January 10th 2020