Khelo India Tribal Games Begin in Chhattisgarh

Raipur, India – The inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games, a national competition dedicated to tribal athletes, will commence on Wednesday in Chhattisgarh, drawing nearly 3,800 participants from 30 states and union territories across nine sports disciplines. The 10-day event, running through April 3, aims to spotlight and nurture talent from tribal communities, offering 106 gold medals in archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting, and wrestling, with mallakhamb and kabaddi featured as demonstration sports.

Organized across three venues in the host state – Raipur, Jagdalpur, and Sarguja – the games represent the first national platform exclusively for tribal youth. Competitions in team sports like hockey and football will take place in Raipur, athletics in Jagdalpur, and wrestling in Sarguja. Athletics will offer the most gold medals at 34, followed by swimming with 24, wrestling with 18, weightlifting with 16, and archery with 10. The inaugural ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday evening at Science College Ground in Raipur, with Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Mansukh Mandaviya serving as chief guest and Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai presiding.