PANJIM: The National Games are here. At last, the biggest multi event sports extravaganza to be ever held in the country will begin from Thursday. The 37th National Games will feature over 10,000 athletes participating in 43 sports events.
The event will span across multiple venues throughout the state. Notably, cycling and golf will be held in Delhi. More than 10,000 athletes are expected to participate in the games. 49 percent of the athletes are women.
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Goa will hope its athletes fare better than they did in the last game held in Gujarat where they won 7 bronze medals. The State government has invested in sporting facilities and in the training of the athletes and they hope the returns will be rich. Goa’s athletes will be participating in all the events.
The badminton event will commence from Thursday (October 19) at the S P M Stadium, Goa University. Goa is placed along Assam and Maharashtra in the men’s tournament and the association will hope the training they have undergone in the past couple of days will pay off in medals. In the female tournament Goa is placed along with Maharashtra and Punjab.
The Games will mark the debut of several new sports disciplines on the medal stage, including beach football, roll ball, golf, sepaktakraw, sqay martial arts, kalliyarapattu, and pencak silat.
Additionally, yachting and taekwondo are making a return to the Games after their exclusion during the last edition. Moreover, to celebrate tradition, the sports of lagori and gatka have been included as demonstration sports, adding a unique and cultural dimension to the event.
Gurudutt Bhakta the secretary of the Goa Olympic Association said, “This is a golden opportunity to give their best and attain a certain position for themselves and for Goa. It is a lifetime opportunity because National Games do not happen again and again in the State. Your example should encourage our Goan youngsters to take up sports seriously”.
The size of the Goan contingent is approximately a thousand athletes considering that there will be participants in all the 43 events. Goan federation officials believe the number of medals will be much higher than the last games.
The Chef d Mission of the Goan contingent Sandeep Heble said, “It’s great to have the National Games finally here, and to welcome all of India’s finest athletes to our shores. While the inaugural ceremony is set for October 26, the badminton event will kick-start today. Goa has a rich history of being exceptional sporting hosts, and I have no doubt that the players are going to have an extraordinary time here. For the first time ever, so many different disciplines are being held together at the National Games, making this the biggest and best edition to date.”
One can wish and hope the games move along smoothly without any problems and the State’s athletes bring joy with their tremendous performances.
