The latest edition of Khelo India Youth Games kicks off in grand style

The first day saw actions in the sports of football, badminton, and Kabaddi among others.

The much-awaited SBI Khelo India Youth Games 2021, Haryana, got off to a rousing start here on Saturday, with Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurating the Games during a high-octane Opening Ceremony.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal and Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur led the power-packed audience at the magnificent Tau Devi Lal Sports Complex, which will witness most of the battles for medals over the next 10 days.

Terming Haryana as India’s sports capital, Shri Amit Shah said, “The entire country is not only proud of Haryana’s athletes but also admires them all.

Over the past four years, Khelo India has given a platform to athletes from across the country to showcase their potential. If you have the talent, there is no force stopping you to graduate from the grassroots level to the state, national or even the international level.”

“Our government has raised the sports budget from Rs 864 crore in 2014 to Rs 1,992 crore in 2022, and the outcome is pretty evident with the best ever medal haul of 7 at the Tokyo Olympics, a rise of 5 from the earlier edition in 2016. Similarly in the Paralympics, the medals rose from a mere four in 2016 to 19 in 2021,” he added praising Honourable Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the advances made by India in the field of sports. “Not only has the infrastructure in the country

Over 4,700 athletes, including 2,262 girls, will be jostling for gold and glory over the next 10 days in 25 exciting sports, including 5 indigenous games.

The race for supremacy will get underway on Sunday itself, with as many as 32 gold medals in weight-lifting, wrestling, cycling, yogasana and gatka up for grabs.

Addressing the gathering, CM Manohar Lal said: “I thank Honourable PM for giving Haryana the opportunity to host KIYG 2021. This is not just a sporting competition but also a melange of cultures because when athletes come here from all over the country they don’t just bring their sporting skills but also bring their culture with them. The cultural exchange is a wonderful example of the vision of Honourable PM of Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat, where people across the country come together as one and make the nation strong.”

Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur said: “Khelo India Youth Games and University Games are the outcome of the vision of Honourable Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi ji. This has ensured that athletes get all the support they need. Be it the funding to Khelo India athletes or the Out of Pocket allowance of Rs 10,000 per month and training facilities or the personalised support to elite athletes through TOPS. As athletes, all you need to do is to play well, you don't have to worry about your requirements, that will be taken care of by us, " Shri. Thakur said.

Welcoming the Union Home Minister, he said, "It is a great honour that today we have amongst us Shri Amit Shah ji whose keen interest in sport has led to the creation of the world's largest cricket stadium. He is leading the vision of Honourable PM from the front to make India a sporting nation."

A 90-minute electrifying show enthralled the packed stadium, with popular Punjabi and Hindi rapper Dilin Nair, better known as Raftaar, performing as the show-stopper.

Raftaar enlivened the evening with his rendition of the Khelo India anthem Ab Ki Baar Haryana, raising the spirits of each and everyone.

The show stitched together a high-energy, high-decibel entertainment package, showcasing Haryana’s history and heritage, pomp and prosperity, richness and diversity.

A special section on their sportspersons portrayed how their athletes are prepared for world competition. They also unveiled their future stars during this act, much to the delight of captivated spectators.

KIYG’s popular mascots, Vijaya the Tiger and Jaya the Blackbuck, came dancing into the arena, setting the tone for the evening. The loudest cheers were, however, reserved for Haryana’s own mascot, Dhakad the Bull.

It was wheeled into the Stadium on a tractor to the catchy strains of ‘Hum, Hum, Hum’, the original Khelo India anthem.

For the first time in Khelo India Games, Haryana organised a state-wide torch relay. The specially designed canter toured all its districts, promoting the Games and encouraging kids to take up sports.

The Games torch was lit after making a dramatic entry into the stadium from where it was flagged off 25 days back, officially kicking off the Games.

The athletes, on behalf of the participants, took an Olympic-style oath to respect and abide by the rules of the sport and in the spirit of fair play.

Several eminent athletes including Olympic medalist Yogeshwar Dutt, Paralympic Gold medalist Sumit Antil, Paralympic bronze medalist Yogesh Kathunia, World championship bronze medalist Manisha Moun were among those who attended the programme to motivate the young participants. 11

Among the several other dignitaries who lent political heft to the occasion included Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sport Nitin Pramanik, Haryana Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gianchand Gupta, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala and Minister of State for Sports and Youth Affairs Sandeep Singh, a former hockey Olympian.

Competitions began in various sports on Saturday, including in badminton, volleyball, kabaddi, gatka and football.

Here are some key results:

BADMINTON (GIRLS):

1. Radhika Sharma (Punjab) bt Lydia Barreto (Goa) 2-0 (21-11, 21-13); 2. Vijetha Harish (Karnataka) bt Riya Nitin Habbu (Maharasthra) 2-0 (21-18, 21-17); 3. Karri Bhargavi (Telangana) bt Durva Gupta (Delhi) 2-1 (16-21, 21-13, 21-11); 4. Unnati Hooda (Haryana) bt Kshetrimayum Maheshwari Devi (Manipur) 2-0 (21-11, 21-14)

BADMINTON (BOYS):

1. Darshan Pujari (Mahrashtra) bt Kavin Thangam (Tamil Nadu) 2-0 (21-10, 21-10); 2. Manav Choudhary (Haryana) bt Sanskar Saraswat (Rajasthan) 2-0 (22-20, 21-12); 3. Tonmay Bikash Baruah (Assam) bt Vikash Yadav (Delhi) 2-0 (21-15, 21-10)

KABADDI (BOYS):

1. Haryana bt Himachal Pradesh 2-0 (18-14,26-20); 2. Uttar Pradesh bt Andhra Pradesh 2-0 (29-18, 26-14)

KABADDI (GIRLS):

1. Haryana bt Tamil Nadu 2-0 (29-13, 26-18); 2. Chandigarh bt Jharkhand 2-0 (35-18, 23-15)

FOOTBALL (GIRLS):

1. Jharkhand bt Manipur 3-0; 2. Haryana bt Gujarat 2-0

GATKA (GIRLS):

1. Haryana bt Madhya Pradesh 172-29; 2. Punjab bt Rajasthan 195-52; 3. Maharashtra bt Tamil Nadu 74-20; 4. Chhattisgarh  bt Gujarat 81-47; 5. Delhi bt Chandigarh 89-32 ; 6. Telangana bt Karnataka (Walkover); 7. Andhra Pradesh bt Jharkhand 21-0 8. Uttarakhand bt Jammu and Kashmir 56-45; 9. Punjab bt Haryana 150-87; 10. Maharashtra bt Chhatishgarh 116-48; 11. Delhi bt Telangana 90-16; 12. Uttarakhand bt Andhra Pradesh 57-17; 13. Punjab bt Maharashtra 139-44; 14. Delhi bt Uttarakhand 99-69; 15. Punjab bt Maharashtra 147-51; 16. Rajasthan bt Gujarat 132-28; 17. Uttarakhand bt Andhra Pradesh 107-36

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.