The second edition of Khelo India University Games (KIUG) is scheduled to be held in March 2022 at the JAIN Deemed-to-be-University campus. In order to check the ongoing preparation for the event, Karnataka's Minister of Youth Empowerment, Sports and Sericulture, KC Narayana Gowda visited the campus on October 18. KIUG was launched in 2018 with an aim to tap the growing sports talent in college and university campuses to represent India in international sports events like the Olympics and also the National Games. The foundation to KIUG was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2020.
Speaking at the session, Gowda said, “My office will provide all the necessary support and cooperation needed for the successful execution and completion of the event. As a team, we are certain that the KIUG 2021 will be a huge success. I wish such engagements and events to come up in the future, thereby enabling our students to get access to the right platforms and opportunities and empowering their dreams of becoming successful sportspersons.”
Gowda was accompanied by other officials from his office, including HN Gopala Krishna, IAS, Commissioner, MS Ramesh, Joint Director, Jeetendra Shetty, Deputy Director of the Department of Youth Empowerment and Sports and SH Suresh Kumar, Manager, Sports Authority of India. KIUG 2021 will be launched in December but the games will only begin on March 5, 2022. It will be held at the JAIN Global Campus, JAIN Sports School, Sree Kanteerava Stadium (indoor and outdoor), Hockey Stadium and also the Sports Authority of India (SAI) Shooting Range. Out of 19 categories that have been identified for KIUG, 15 will be conducted at the JAIN campuses alone. The event is set to witness over 8,500 plus participants, including 4,500 plus athletes across 200 and above universities. The PM is expected to inaugurate the event.
Excited about the KIUG 2021, Chenraj Roychand, Chancellor, JAIN, said, “As an official host of KIUG, we reiterate our commitment to make this distinctive event a grand success and safe and continue to uphold our core values to nurture sports talent in the country. We hope that KIUG will establish an array of sports opportunities for emerging talents who are set to represent the country in international sports forums.”
