Top athletes to headline second University Games in Bengaluru

NEW DELHI: Some of India’s top athletes, including Manu Bhaker and Srihari Nataraj, will compete in Khelo India University Games (KIUG) in Bengaluru from April 24-May 3.

The second edition of the KIUG will see participation from 3871 athletes from 189 universities across India. There will be 20 disciplines with a total of 275 gold medals at stake. The competitions will be held in 14 venues across the city. The inaugural KIUG were held in Odisha in February 2020, while the last edition was postponed due to Covid. Olympic shooters Divyansh Panwar, Aishwarya Pratap Singh Tomar, and seasoned sprinter Dutee Chand will also represent their respective universities.

“The KIUG is a platform through which we intend to identify talent for the Asian Games, CWG, and the Olympics. It will see large participation and some of our best athletes competing. I am confident that these Games will encourage athletes to give their best,” said sports minister Anurag Thakur.

“The KIUG will also see NADA going completely digital in terms of Information, Education, Communication (IEC) and also testing the Games app for paperless protocols by WADA.”

Panjab University are the defending champions with 46 medals, including 17 gold medals. The ministry has sanctioned Rs 34.97 crore for the Games.

Recognition to NSFS

The Sports Ministry will send more reminders to the National Sports Federations to amend their Constitution as per the National Sports Code.

“We have given them provisional recognition and allocated a budget till September because this is an important year and athletes should not suffer,” said Thakur.