Khelo University Games begins from today with much pomp and gusto
Lucknow: The third edition of Khelo India University Games (KIUG) will begin in Uttar Pradesh from Tuesday. In this, more than 4,000 players from 207 universities of the country are expected to participate in 21 sports. This event will last for 12 days. While most of the games will be held in five cities of Uttar Pradesh, shooting will be held in New Delhi.
KIUG started on Tuesday with Kabaddi matches at SVSP Sports Complex Indoor Hall, Gautam Buddha Nagar, its official opening ceremony will be held in Lucknow on Thursday.
This edition will also mark the beginning of water sports – rowing competition will be held at Taal Lake in Ramgarh, Gorakhpur.
While the annual event is a good platform for athletes to make a name for themselves in the national sports scene, officials from various state sports federations, even the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association, are disappointed with the poor sporting infrastructure in the state.
All events will be held at ‘borrowed’ venues due to lack of suitable infrastructure.
The 1982 Asian Games and 2010 Commonwealth Games gave New Delhi an opportunity to build world-class sports infrastructure, said Anandeshwar Pandey, general secretary of the State Olympic Association. It is helping our sportspersons to train better and win medals at international level including Olympics.
Meanwhile, Sanjay Saraswat, executive director of Sports Authority of India’s Lucknow centre, said KIUG is helping athletes perform better.
He said that the aim of the Khelo India University Games is to provide fair opportunities to the players to showcase their talents. We need a strong policy for university athletes, he said, adding that university sports help in improving the sports infrastructure of the state.
State Sports Director, R.P. Singh said, as far as the sports development of the state is concerned, this event will give ample opportunity to the athletes from the universities of Uttar Pradesh to showcase their talent and win medals.
