Khelo India University Games kick off in Uttar Pradesh with Kabaddi events

The ten-day mega sporting event is set to feature over 200 universities across 21 sporting disciplines

While the whole of Uttar Pradesh and India awaits the official opening ceremony of the Khelo India University Games 2022 Uttar Pradesh (KIUG22UP) on 25th May 2023, Kabaddi kicked-off the first competitive day of the games amidst much fanfare at the SVSP Sports Complex, Gautam Buddha Nagar. The third edition of the KIUG22UP will see over 4000 athletes representing over 200 Universities in 21 sporting disciplines.  

The opening day of the competitive proceedings for Kabaddi at the SVSP Sports Complex was preceded by a small cultural program that included performances from school children from the region and was attended by the Chief Guest of the evening Shri Brijesh Singh, Minister of State, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh, Public Works Dept. & Minister Incharge, Gautam Buddha Nagar District. Other dignitaries who attended the opening day of Kabaddi included, Dr. Mahesh Sharma, Member of Parliament, Gautam Buddha Nagar; Shri Surendra Nagar, MP Rajya Sabha; Shri Amit Chaudhary, Chairman, Zila Panchayat, Gautam Buddha Nagar; Shri Shrichand Sharma, MLC; Shri Manish Kumar Verma, District Magistrate, Gautam Buddha Nagar & Smt. Laxmi Singh, Commissioner of Police, Gautam Buddha Nagar.

The opening day was also attended by some prolific athletes that included Mr. Varun Bhati, Paralympian & Bronze Medalist, Ms. Babita Nagar, International Wrestler; Mr. Asish Nagar, & Mr. Ashu Singh, Pro Kabaddi Players from UP Yoddhas. 

A total of four games began Kabaddi’s competitive rounds at the SVSP Sports Complex today. The day began with a heartbreak for Atal Bihari Vajpayee Vishwavidyalaya University (ABVVU), Bilaspur as they lost 28-41 to Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University, Jind in their opening league match of the women’s category at the Noida’s Shaheed Vijay Singh Pathik Indoor Sports Complex.

For ABVVU, Sanju Devi did most of the work for her team in the initial stages of the preliminary round match however her hardwork couldn’t help her snatch a victory for her team as they fell short of overall match strategy. On the other hand ABVVU’s opponents from Jind changed their strategy to check Sanju Devi and were successful as both teams were neck to neck with three minutes left on board. At this crucial juncture, the team from Jind shifted gears to tighten their grip over the match and raced ahead to 41-28 win.

“Bilaspur team had one good player (Sanju Devi) in the team, while we (Jind) combined well in the closing stages to win our first match of the day,” Rampal, Jind University team coach said in the post-match interaction.  

In the second match in the women’s category, HP University, Shimla beat HCY University, Durg 51–29. Shimla University pressed hard from the start and raced to a 29-11 lead in the first half of the match. Shimla team added another 22 points in the second half, while Durg side tried hard to close the gap but weren’t able to recover the lost ground.

In the men’s side, Adamas University Kolkata struggled hard against Guru Kashi University, Talwandi Sabo as two of its players got injured halfway through the first-round match. Kolkata lost 29-35. The final match of the evening saw Kota University walk away with an easy 28-23 win over SRM University, Chennai.

Day two of the Khelo India University Games 2022 Uttar Pradesh will see the start of Basketball at the Gautam Buddha University Indoor Stadium  and the second day of the Kabaddi competitions at the SVSP Sports Complex in Gautam Buddha Nagar while Lucknow will start the proceedings for Malkhambh, Volley Ball, Table Tennis, Rugby, Football (Boys and Girls), and Tennis.