More than two lakh students will participate in the CISCE National Games and Sports Championship 2026, which begins on August 21 and will continue until October 15, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) said.
The 56-day championship will feature 46 national-level events across 26 sporting disciplines, with 39 schools in 14 states set to host competitions. The events will be conducted primarily across the Under-14, Under-17 and Under-19 categories, with separate and combined competitions for boys and girls depending on the sport.
The sporting disciplines include athletics, badminton, basketball, cricket, football, hockey, gymnastics, swimming and diving, as well as chess, boxing, karate, taekwondo, volleyball, rugby, skating, squash, table tennis, yoga and archery.
Uttar Pradesh will host the highest number of championships, with eight events, while Telangana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will each host five.
Dr Joseph Emmanuel, Chief Executive and Secretary, CISCE, said that sports had long been part of the council's educational system and highlighted the sporting careers of former CISCE students including Abhinav Bindra, Leander Paes and Sania Mirza.
“Sport has always been an integral part of the CISCE educational experience, and our schools have a proud legacy of nurturing sporting excellence,” Emmanuel said. He added that the council was committed to providing more students with opportunities to discover their sporting potential, compete at higher levels and aspire to represent the country.
Emmanuel said that the scale of this year's championship reflected the growing sporting aspirations of students.
“We want every young athlete to have the opportunity to discover their potential, compete with integrity and pursue excellence,” he said, adding that CISCE hoped to contribute to India's efforts to become a stronger sporting nation and nurture future champions.
The championship is among CISCE's major annual school-level sporting events and provides students with opportunities to compete at the national level across a wide range of disciplines.