The 6th edition of Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2023 hosted by Tamil Nadu was held from 19th to 31st January 2024. Maharashtra topped the medal tally of KIYG 2023 with 158 medals (57 gold, 48 silver, 53 bronze) and won the overall championship trophy.
- Tamil Nadu and Haryana were ranked 2nd and 3rd, respectively, with 98 medals (38 gold, 21 silver, and 39 bronze) and 103 medals (35 gold, 22 silver, and 46 bronze).
KIYG 2023 Medal Tally:
| Rank | States/UT | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Maharashtra | 57 | 48 | 53 | 158 |
| 2 | Tamil Nadu | 38 | 21 | 39 | 98 |
| 3 | Haryana | 35 | 22 | 46 | 103 |
| 4 | Delhi | 13 | 18 | 25 | 56 |
| 5 | Rajasthan | 13 | 17 | 17 | 47 |
Inauguration of Khelo India Youth Games 2023:
On 19th January 2024, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the opening ceremony of the Khelo India Youth Games 2023 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
The Inaugural ceremony was attended by the Governor of Tamil Nadu, R N Ravi, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, M K Stalin, Union Minister of Information & Broadcasting and Youth Affairs and Sports, Shri Anurag Singh Thakur.
About Khelo India Youth Games 2023:
i.The 6th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games was a flagship event under the government of India’s Khelo India initiative.
ii.The sport of Squash is included for the first time in this edition of the Khelo India Youth Games.
Venues:
The sporting events were held in four cities of Tamil Nadu namely, Chennai, Trichy, Madurai, and Coimbatore.
Mascot – Veeramangai
The mascot represents legendary freedom fighter Rani Velu Nachiyar, who is commonly referred to as ‘Veera Mangai’ in Tamil Nadu, which stands for ‘brave woman’.
Logo – Thiruvalluvar Statue in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
Participants:
i. About 4454 athletes (2307 male and 2147 female) from 36 states and union territories participated across 26 competitive sports and 1 demo sport (Silambam) in the KIYG 2023.
Key Performances:
i.The KIYG 2023 witnessed the 30 overall KIYG records and national youth records.
- 8 records have been created in athletics, and 22 records were created in weightlifting.
ii.World champion and 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist Aditi Gopichand Swami(Maharashtra) won two gold medals in the compound girls and mixed team event(along with Manav Jadhao) (Archery).
iii.Swimmer Vritti Agarwal of Telangana won a total of 5 gold medals (200m butterfly, 1500m freestyle, 800m freestyle, 400m freestyle, and 200m freestyle).
iv.Swimmer Palak Joshi(Maharashtra) broke her national record in the 200m backstroke event with a time of 2:18.59 seconds over 2:18.90s which she set at the National Aquatics championships in Hyderabad(Telangana) in July 2023.
v.Jyoshna Sabar of Odisha won the gold medal in weightlifting in the 40kg category with the national record in snatch.
- She lifted a total of 130 kgs, including 60 kg in Snatch (a new national record), and 70 kg in Clean & Jerk.
vi.Sanjana of Haryana won gold in weightlifting 76kg category with her new improved national record in the snatch by lifting 87 kg and 90 kg in two rounds(Her previous national record in snatch was 86 kg).
vii.R P Keerthana (Tamil Nadu) broke the National Youth record in Snatch, Clean & Jerk, and overall to clinch the gold in the girls’ 81kg category.
- She lifted a total of 188 kgs, including 85kg in snatch and 103kg in Clean & Jerk.
viii.Aarti Tatagunti(Maharashtra)won the gold medal in weightlifting at the 49kg category by lifting a total weight of 170kg, including 75kg in snatch and 95kg in Clean and Jerk.
- She set the new national youth record in snatch, clean & jerk and overall.
ix.Durga Singh(Bihar) won the gold medal in the 1500m race with a new KIYG record timing of 4 minutes 29.22 seconds.
Note:
Maharashtra won the previous(5th) edition of the KIYG 2022 held in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh in 2023.
About Khelo India:
i.Khelo India, which translates to ‘Let’s Play India,’ was launched by the Indian government in 2017 as a way to revive India’s sporting culture by involving youngsters at the grassroots level.
ii.Under the Khelo India initiative, the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), the Khelo India University Games (KIUG), the Khelo India Winter Games, and the Khelo India Para Games were introduced.
Recent Related News:
i.Haryana topped the medal tally with 105 medals (40 gold, 39 silver, and 26 bronze) in the inaugural edition of the Khelo India Para Games 2023 held in New Delhi, Delhi from 10th – 17th December 2023.
About the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS):
Union Minister– Anurag Singh Thakur (Constituency- Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh)
Minister of State (MoS)– Nisith Pramanik (Constituency- Coochbehar, West Bengal)
