Edited by Deepali Verma
The Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) is a flagship competition inviting the future stars from various sports disciplines to showcase their skills, where they are then nurtured to achieve excellence. The highly-anticipated Khelo India Youth Games 2023 in Tamil Nadu is scheduled from January 19-31, 2024, where the competitions will be held across four cities: Chennai, Trichy, Madurai and Coimbatore.
Here is a list of five distinct features of Khelo India Youth Games 2023 in Tamil Nadu, that make the sixth edition of the Youth Games incredibly unique.
-First time in South India
This is a first time for South India as well as for Tamil Nadu when it comes to hosting the Khelo India Youth Games. Primarily envisioned as the Khelo India School Games back in 2018, the Games have gotten larger in magnitude and have also undergone name change and are now referred to as the Khelo India Youth Games.
This edition is expected to oversee the participation of over 5,500 athletes from across all the Bharatiya states and Union Territories, according to a press release from Khelo India Youth Games Tamil Nadu.
-First time for historical relevance and Woman as a mascot
Usually, the mascots for major multi-discipline games see their design as national animals or birds. However, Tamil Nadu is the first state to incorporate its rich traditional history and is aiming to educate the younger generation of the bravery of legendary freedom fighter Rani Velu Nachiyar, also referred to as ‘Veera Mangai’ (the brave woman).
Rani Velu Nachiyar, in history, becomes the first Bharatiya queen to go to war against the East India Company and her contributions have been included in the school books to both urge and encourage children to learn the history and contribution of Veera Mangai through the freedom struggle.
-Squash making its Khelo India debut
A special bond has existed between squash and Chennai ever since the Squash Rackets Federation of India set up its flagship India Squash Academy in the city back in 1990. The state since then has been home to numerous national and international stars and additionally hosts big-ticket squash events, such as the Squash World Cup last year. And keeping in mind the city’s deep connection with the game, Khelo India has planned to introduce the fast-paced racquet sport to this edition’s list.
Additionally, Squash has been shortlisted as one among the five new sports to be added to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics programme. Hence, the addition of this sport to Khelo India will be beneficial in identifying new talent and broadening the base of the game pan Bharat.
-Silambam makes debut as a demo sport
Tamil Nadu’s pride, one of the oldest weapon-based martial arts forms, Silambam, has been practised in Tamil Nadu since the fourth century BC and Tamil Sangam literature houses some of its most extensive references. Named after its primary weapon, the bamboo staff, this martial art form is recognised by the Union Sports Ministry under the ‘Promotion of inclusiveness through sports’ initiative.
All Khelo India venues are set to hold the display of Silambam and nearly 1000 players will be displaying the mastery of this unique form of martial art as a demo sport.
-Tamil Nadu to host all sports disciplines within the State
The last two editions of the Khelo India Youth Games saw a few sports disciplines such as shooting and cycling being held outside the host state owing to a lack of infrastructure.
Tamil Nadu will be the first state in the previous three editions that will be hosting all the sports disciplines such as cycling, that is set to be conducted at the state-of-the-art velodrome at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University (TNPESU) in Melakottaiyur. Shooting events are set to take place in Velachery and Alamadi, where the finest budding shooters from the state as well as the country will be seen aiming for the bull’s eye.
