Khelo University Games from Feb. 22

After staging a series of big-ticket events, Odisha is set to host the first edition of the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) from February 22 to March 1. The inaugural games, to be held at the KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, will have 17 sports disciplines and feature around 4,000 athletes from around 80 to 100 universities.

The individual events will be in archery, athletics, boxing, fencing, judo, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling. The team events will be in badminton, basketball, football, hockey, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, rugby, and kabaddi. In the last few years, Odisha has hosted big tournaments such as the 2017 Asian Athletics Championships, 2018 Men’s Hockey World Cup, 2019 Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships, and the Hockey Olympic Qualifiers in November 2019.

Ahead of the launch event on Monday, Odisha’s Minister of Sports and Youth Services, Tusharkanti Behera, said the KIUG would provide a perfect platform for young athletes to gain national recognition.

“It is an event of massive scale involving youth and we expect a seamless and successful execution of the event. We are confident that participants will demonstrate highest level of sportsmanship and return to their states as ambassadors for KIUG and Odisha,” Behera told The Hindu.

Telecast on DD

The KIUG 2020 will be broadcast on Doordarshan. There are plans to stream key events across the state’s social platforms and YouTube channels. Behera said a dedicated event site would provide schedules, updates, photos and highlights of the games.

The Odisha government is organising the games in association with Sports Authority of India, Association of Indian Universities, National Sports Federations, Indian Olympic Association (IOA), and the participating universities.