- This time, a total of 39 sports, including 32 Olympic sports, seven emerging sports, and 25 para sports are going to be organised across the state
- Sports competitions will be held for seven different age groups – Under-9, 11, 14, 17, open category, over 40 years and over 60 years age group
- Sports like athletics, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball will be organised in school and village levels from January 1 to 3, whereas competitions at taluka level will be held from January 6 to 12
- The sports budget has increased from Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 293 crore in two decades: Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel
NE SPORTS BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, DEC 3
The Gujarat government’s annual sports extravaganza, ‘Khel Mahakumbh 3.0’, will open its registration doors on December 5. The registration process will continue till December 25. The event, slated for inauguration in early January, will see the participation of athletes across numerous disciplines until March 31, announced Minister of State for Sports, Harsh Sanghavi, on Tuesday.
“Khel Mahakumbh 3.0 will be held between December 5 and March 31. This time, a total of 39 sports, including 32 Olympic sports, seven emerging sports, and 25 para sports are going to be organised across the state,” he said in a statement.
Khel Mahakumbh was started in 2010 by Narendra Modi when he was the chief minister of Gujarat with the main objective of creating awareness about sports among the youth, maintaining physical fitness and developing sports culture in Gujarat, it said.
Nearly 66 lakh sportspersons from Gujarat had registered in Khel Mahakumbh 2.0 held last year.
People willing to participate in Khel Mahakumbh 3.0 can register online from December 5 to December 25 while the inauguration ceremony will be organised in the first week of January 2025.
Sports competitions will be held for seven different age groups – Under-9, 11, 14, 17, open category, over 40 years and over 60 years age group.
Sports like athletics, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball will be organised in school and village levels from January 1 to 3, whereas competitions at taluka level will be held from January 6 to 12, said the release, adding that district level competitions will begin from January 15.
This year, physically-challenged athletes will be able to participate in athletics, cricket, volleyball and swimming, while mentally-challenged athletes can take part in a host of games, including athletics, cycling, volleyball, basketball, swimming and roller skating, among others.
“The Gujarat government is focussing on developing sports infrastructure in the state. It is building sports centres in all the districts to train new talent. The sports budget has increased from Rs 2.5 crore to Rs 293 crore in two decades,” Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel had said at Khel Mahakumbh 2.0 in 2023.
