The Khelo India Youth Games 2021, which was scheduled to be held in Haryana between February 5 -14, 2022, gets postponed due to the present Covid-19 pandemic situation in the country.
Pushed from 2021 to 2022
The event was originally set to take place during November-December 2021 but was postponed to February amidst fears of the third wave of Covid-19.
With an increase in the number of cases, it has been again rescheduled. Sports Authority of India (SAI) confirmed the news on Tuesday and will announce the fresh dates after reviewing the situation in the country and discussing it with the stakeholders.
The Intensity of the Situation
India recorded 1,68,063 new Covid-19 cases, including 4,461 cases of the Omicron variant. This takes the tally of Covid-19 cases to 3,58,75,790 as of Tuesday, according to the records of the Union Health Ministry.
With the active cases and death toll climbing day by day, the Sports Authority of India’s decision to postpone the event is practical and need of the hour.
An Event for the Youth
It is a national annual sports event in two categories, namely Under-17 and Under-21. The Under-17 category consists of school students, whereas the Under-21 level comprises college students.
The event’s format is such that it acts as a grassroots structure for different sports and disciplines in the country.
Khelo India Youth Games in Haryana
The Khelo India Youth Games 2021 will be held in five cities in Haryana. The games will take place at Panchkula, Chandigarh, Ambala, Shahabad, alongside Delhi NCR.
Around 10,000 athletes from 25 different sports are expected to compete in the Haryana Games.
The last Khelo India Youth Games took place in Guwahati, Assam, in January 2020, just a few months before the pandemic began.
History of the Event
Inaugurated as Khelo India School Games by Mr. Narendra Modi in January 2018, it was renamed Khelo India Youth Games in 2019 after the Indian Olympic Association came on board in late 2018.
The first Games was conducted in Delhi, Pune, Maharashtra was the host for the second and Guwahati, Assam organized the third. Haryana will be the 4th host for the event.
2022 Khelo India Youth Games is speculated to occur in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Selection Criteria for the Athletes
The selection is based on school/college students in a specified age group, and selected students will compete in the games.
The athletes will be decided through the ranks of the Sports and Games Federation of India, the Olympic federation, Central Board of Secondary Education (for Under-17 category), host state and organizing committee.
The main purpose of this event is to identify budding talents and nurture their growth in the sport. As a result, the top two athletes from each sport will be recognised, and these athletes will be awarded a scholarship of ₹5,00,000 for 8 years period to support their sport-related practise and needs.
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