Finance
Panchkula has rolled out the red carpet for nearly 4,700 athletes, including 2,262 girls, and their support staff ahead of the largest Khelo India Youth Games ever, which begin on June 4.
The Tau Devi Lal Complex (TDCL) has been decorated in preparation for the grand opening ceremony.
It will also serve as the focal point of all activity, with several of the 25 disciplines taking place in the newly constructed Multi-Purpose Halls. Athletics, Football, Badminton, Table Tennis, Kabaddi, Handball, Wrestling, Volleyball, Boxing, and the five Indigenous Games are among the popular games held here.
Ambala (Gymnastics and Swimming), Shahabad (Hockey), Chandigarh (Archery and Football), and New Delhi (Cycling and Shooting) will also serve as hosts.
The Khelo India Youth Games are being held in all 36 states and union territories for the first time, with hosts Haryana fielding the largest contingent of 398 athletes.
Defending champions Maharashtra have the second-largest contingent with 357 athletes, followed by third-placed Delhi with 339. Andaman and Nicobar will send the smallest team of six cyclists, while Ladakh will send seven.
Athletics, the most glamorous discipline, will see the most participation, with 392 entries in various events. Wrestling, where India’s international prospects are promising, will draw 323 competitors, while some of India’s most promising swimmers will be among the 251 competitors hoping to make waves in the pool.
In boxing, 236 fighters will trade flying fists in the ring.
Among the Olympic team sports, hockey will feature 288 players wielding their wands, while football will feature an equal number of participants.
Kabaddi and kho-kho, two traditional Indian team sports, will each have 192 participants.
Along with the more familiar discipline of yogasana, the four new indigenous sports – gatka (227), mallakhamb (218), kalariyapattu (187), and thang ta (140) – have received an enthusiastic response from participants (87). These events, as well as kho-kho, will be held at the Panchkula Cricket Stadium.
Swimming and athletics will have the most heated action in the individual events, with 114 and 96 medals on the line, respectively. Swimming will be contested by Karnataka, Maharashtra, West Bengal, and Delhi, while Kerala, whose star athletes have mostly stayed away due to the off season, will work hard to set the track on fire.
“Haryana is a sporting state and we are keen on creating an atmosphere at the Games that everybody will enjoy,” Satyadev Malik, Deputy Director of Haryana sports department, said.
Source:OCN
