The National Games, returning to the Indian sporting calendar for the first time since 2015, will be held in Gujarat this time. Nearly 7,000 athletes from 28 states, eight union territories and the services will compete in 36 sports.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 2022 National Games –
When does the National Games of India 2022 start?
The National Games are making a comeback after a long seven-year hiatus. Technically, the event started with the table tennis competition, which took place from September 20th to 24th.
A few other sporting events have also started; However, the opening ceremony is scheduled for September 29 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, and the bulk of the esports will begin on September 30. The games end on October 12th.
Is Gujarat hosting the event?
Yes, the games will be held in six cities of Gujarat – Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar. This is the first time Gujarat has hosted the National Games. However, the track cycling event takes place in Delhi at the Velodrome.
Why are the National Games taking place after a seven-year hiatus?
The last edition of the National Games was held in Kerala in 2015. Goa was supposed to host the next National Games in 2016 but due to logistical problems, the event kept getting postponed. In 2019, the Indian Olympic Association even threatened to fine Goa Rs 10 crore for not organizing the Games. In 2020, the games were again indefinitely postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
National Games are to be held every two years, except for the years when the Olympic Games and the Asian Games are scheduled. However, this has not been practiced recently.
What are the events at this edition of the National Games?
Around 7,000 athletes from 28 states and eight union territories will compete in the National Games along with the Indian Armed Forces service sports team. There are 36 sporting events in total.
These are: Water Sports, Archery, Indian Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Beach Sports, Boxing, Canoeing, Cycling, Fencing, Soccer, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Judo, Kabaddi, Kho Kho, Bowling, Mallakhambh, Netball, Roller Sports, Rowing, Rugby 7, Shooting, Softball, Softball, Squash, Table Tennis, Tennis, Triathlon, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling, Wushu and Yogasana.
What happened at the table tennis event?
The table tennis event started early because the players had to leave for the World Championships, which will be held from September 30th to October 9th in Chengdu, China.
Harmeet Desai of Gujarat and Sutirtha Mukherjee of West Bengal won the gold medal in the men’s and women’s singles respectively.
Gujarat and West Bengal also won the gold medals in the team competition. In all, Sutirtha won three gold medals at the games – singles, doubles and team events.
Who are the big stars set to compete at the 2022 National Games?
Olympic champions Neeraj Chopra, PV Sindhu, Bajrang Punia and Lovlina Borgohain will not be in action. However, stars such as Mirabai Chanu, Avinash Sable, Murali Sreeshankar, Annu Rani and Srihari Nataraj will reportedly make appearances for their respective states and teams.
Which teams have dominated previous editions of the National Games?
The service team has prevailed in the last three editions of the National Games. In 2015, athletes from Services won 91 gold medals and 159 overall. In 2011 (Jharkhand) and 2007 (Guwahati) the service team won 70 and 59 gold medals respectively. Among the states, athletes from Manipur, Haryana, Kerala, Maharashtra and Punjab have traditionally done well.
Where can you watch the 2022 National Games live?
Matches will be streamed live on Doordarshan Sports and Prasar Bharti Sports YouTube channel.
Here is the full schedule of games:
Table tennis: September 20th to 24th
Kabaddi: September 26th to October 1st
Netball: September 26th to 30th
Rugby 7s: September 28th to 30th
Shooting (rifle and pistol): September 29th to October 3rd
Shoot (Shotgun): September 30th to October 7th
wrestling: September 30th to October 2nd
Triathlon: September 30th to October 2nd
Archery: September 30th to October 6th
Kho Kho: September 30th to October 4th
Lawn bowls: September 26th to October 3rd
Tennis: September 29th to October 5th
Roller Sports – Skateboarding: September 30th and October 1st
Roller sports – skating: September 30th and October 2nd
Fencing: September 30th to October 4th
Gymnastics: September 30th to October 4th
weightlifting: September 30th to October 4th
Rowing: September 30th to October 3rd
Soccer (women): 1st to 10th October
Cycling (route): 1st to 4th October
To squeeze: 1st to 5th October
Badminton: 1st to 6th October
Basketball 3×3: 1st to 3rd October
Basketball 5×5: 1st to 6th October
Soccer (men): 2nd to 11th October
Water sports: October 2nd to 8th
Ice Hockey: 2nd to 9th October
boxes: 5th to 12th October
Yogasana: 6th to 11th October
Golf: 6th to 9th October
Mallakhambh: 7th to 11th October
Soft tennis: 7th to 11th October
judo: 7th to 11th October
Cycling (road): October 8th and 9th
wushu: 8th to 11th October
Canoeing: October 10th and 11th
Athletics: September 30th to October 4th
soft ball: 7th to 11th October
Beach volleyball: 6th to 9th October
Volleyball: 8th to 12th October