India to host Khelo India Northeast Games annually, says Union Sports Minister Mandaviya

Guwahati, May 24: Identifying the Northeast as a “powerhouse of sports talent,” Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday said the government of India will host the Khelo India Northeast Games in one of the eight northeastern states every year as part of efforts to strengthen the region’s sporting ecosystem.

Speaking at the Rising Northeast Investors Summit 2025 in New Delhi, Dr. Mandaviya said the games will rotate annually among Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura. “This initiative will not only help us scout and harness local talent but also serve as a platform to promote traditional games,” he stated.

He emphasized that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, the Northeast — long recognized as the land of India’s first sunrise — is making rapid developmental strides and is now an integral contributor to the vision of ‘Naya Bharat’.

Referring to India’s aspirations of hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games and the 2036 Summer Olympics, Dr. Mandaviya said India’s diverse climate made it an ideal destination for year-round international competitions. “Today we have monsoons in the South, snowfall in the Himalayas, and summer in the West. India is perfect for a global ‘Play in India’ movement, just like the successful ‘Make in India’ initiative,” he added.

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Highlighting the Northeast’s growing role in India’s sports landscape, the minister noted that some of the country’s top athletes hail from the region and are already representing India in elite international competitions.

He also underlined the government’s heavy investment in infrastructure and grassroots development. “Under the Khelo India scheme, Rs 439 crore was sanctioned in 2021 for 64 sports infrastructure projects in the Northeast, including synthetic turfs, multipurpose halls, swimming pools, and hostels,” Dr. Mandaviya said.

Currently, 86 sports projects are operational in the region. Additionally, the Northeast hosts 250 Khelo India Centres (KICs), training over 8,000 athletes, and eight Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs). Three National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs) in Guwahati, Itanagar, and Imphal are also providing world-class training to 600 athletes.

Citing the success of the Khelo India Ashtalakshmi University Games held in 2023, he said the event proved the Northeast’s capability to host large-scale national tournaments across athletics, football, boxing, and archery.

Dr. Mandaviya also spotlighted the ASMITA League, a flagship scheme for promoting women’s sports, in which over 13,000 girls from the Northeast participated last year. “This shows how the region is evolving into a fertile nursery of sporting talent,” he said.

In a push to widen talent discovery, the minister announced the launch of a new initiative using the National Sports Repository System (NSRS) portal. “Anyone can upload a video of a promising athlete, and SAI scouts will be dispatched to evaluate and induct potential talent into the appropriate training program,” he said.

Also Read: U-20 Men’s National Football C’ship: Meghalaya to meet Mizoram in semifinals on Sunday

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