Overview of 36th National Games 2022; Services Tops for the 4th Consecutive Time

After a gap of 7 years, the 36th National Games were held from September 29 – October 12, 2022. These were declared open by the Prime Minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. This was the first time the Games were held in the state.

• The games were held across 6 cities of Gujarat viz. Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar. Cycling-Track Events will be held in Indira Gandhi Cycling Velodrome, Delhi.
• The previous edition, the 35th National Games of India, was held in 2015 in Kerala. 
• This edition was supposed to take place in Goa in 2020 but it was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• The 37th National Games 2023 will be held in Goa in October 2023. The state government of Goa also conveyed its in-principle approval to IOA (Indian Olympic Association) to host the National Games in 2023.

About Mascot & Anthem:

Mascot– Saavaj

• It means cub in Gujarati represents India’s cultural heritage while also giving a glimpse of a rapidly growing India.

Anthem– It was based on the theme of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’

• The theme personifies the spirit of Judega India, Jitega India.
• It was sung by popular singer Sukhwinder Singh

Theme/Motto– Celebrating Unity Through Sports

Logo– It depicts an Asiatic lion head make up of sporting pictograms and the Statue of Unity.

Outlay

The Central Government allocated Rs 2000 crore for National Games 2022.

About Winner & Medal Tally:

The Services team’s under the aegis of Services Sports Control Board (SSCB) clinched 61 Gold, 35 Silver and 32 Bronze medals and became the winner of National Games for the 4^th consecutive time.

• The Service team has been conferred with the Raja Bhalindra Singh Trophy. It is presented to the overall champions.
• It was presented by Vice President of India Jagdeep Dhankhar to SSCB President Air Marshal Krishnaswamy Anatharaman and Secretary of SSCB Group Captain Dinesh Suri during closing ceremony at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium in Surat.

About SSCB:

Established in 1919, it is one of the founder members of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). It is headquartered in New Delhi, Delhi.

• The best athletes of the three services, the Indian Army (IA), the Indian Navy (IN) and the Indian Air Force (IAF), undergo selection process at the Inter-services level to be chosen and fielded as part of the Services Team for the National Games and World Military Games.

Following table showing the top 5 rankers:

Click here for more info about medal tally...

Best Male Athlete: 29 years old Swimmer Sajan Prakash (Kerala).

• He bagged 5 golds, 2 silvers and 1 bronze.

Best Female Athlete: 14 years old Swimmer Hashika Ramachandra (Karnataka).

• She bagged 6 golds and 1 bronze.
• She became the first Karnataka athlete in 23 years to bag the award.
• Nisha Millet was the last winner from Karnataka, having swept medals in the 1999 National Games in Imphal,Manipur.

Best State trophy: Maharashtra bagged the Indian Olympic Association’s (IOA) Best State trophy for finishing second in the medals tally with the most medals amongst States and UTs.

Key Points:

i.Sports that made their debut at National Games 2022 are Mallakhamba, Yogasana, Skateboarding, Golf and Soft Tennis.

• Yogasana is divided in three categories- Artistic, Traditional and Rhythmic.

ii.Pooja Patel of Gujarat has become the first athlete to win gold in Yogasana in the traditional category.

iii.Gujarat’s 10-Year-Old Shauryajit Khaire created history by becoming the youngest medalist of the 36th National Games as he clinched the bronze medal in Pole Mallakhamb.

iv.Goa, Bihar, and Sikkim were the only states that didn’t clinch any gold medal.

v.The 37th National Games 2023 will be held in Goa in October 2023. The state government of Goa also conveyed its in-principle approval to IOA (Indian Olympic Association) to host the National Games in 2023.

List of Sports which were competed at the National Games 2022:

Aquatics, Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Canoeing & Kayaking, Cycling, Fencing, Football, Gymnastics, Golf, Handball, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Lawn Bowls, Mallakhamb, Netball, Roller Skating, Rowing, Rugby 7s, Shooting, Softball, Soft Tennis, Squash, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Wushu And Yogasana.

Participants:

Almost 7,000 athletes from 28 Indian States, eight Union Territories and Services, the sports team of the Indian Armed Forces, competed for medals in 36 different sports.

Recent Related News:

i.Meghalaya will host the 2nd edition of the North East Olympics 2022 in Shillong, from October 30, 2022, to November 06, 2022. This edition has taken on a special significance as 2022 marks the 50th anniversary of Meghalaya becoming a state.

ii.The 2022 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXII Commonwealth Games (CWG) or Birmingham 2022 was held at Birmingham, England (United Kingdom) from July 28 to August 8, 2022. The medal tally was topped by Australia.

Static Points:

i.The first National Games were held in 1924 in Lahore – now in Pakistan. It was then called the ‘All India Olympic Games’.

ii.The event was rechristened as the ‘National Games’ starting the 1940 edition, which was hosted by Bombay (now Mumbai, Maharashtra).

iii.The 1948 edition in Lucknow was the 1^st edition to be held in independent India.

iv.The 26th edition in 1985, was the first true Olympic-style event.

v.The 1999 National Games were the first to be held in north-east India, in Imphal, the capital of Manipur.