Vadodara, Oct 9 (IANS) Participation in Gujarat’s Khel Mahakumbh has crossed 76 lakh in its 2026 edition, up from around 16.5 lakh in the inaugural event in 2010, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel said on Friday while inaugurating the statewide sporting initiative along with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi in Vadodara.
Patel said the event, launched under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of promoting sports with the mantra ‘Khele Te Khile’, had provided a platform for athletes to showcase their talent and helped foster a sporting culture across the state.
“Gujarat has always had talented sportspersons. By providing them with the right platform and opportunities, Khel Mahakumbh has fostered a new sports culture in the state,” the Chief Minister said.
He said the Centre’s Khelo India initiative and the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) had created opportunities for athletes to develop their abilities from the grassroots level and progress to national and international competitions.
“The state government is committed to identifying talented sportspersons, providing specialised training and preparing them for international-level events,” he added.
Patel said around 410 athletes from Gujarat were being trained under Khelo India, while around 11 athletes from the state were part of TOPS and represented India at the international level. He also highlighted the Shaktidoot Scheme, launched in 2006 to support talented athletes.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s goal of strengthening India’s participation across more sporting disciplines by 2036, Patel said: “Gujarat had taken the challenge as an opportunity and is working towards preparing athletes for international competitions.”
The Chief Minister also urged young people to reduce screen time and participate in outdoor sports.
Referring to the Prime Minister’s appeal to move away from PlayStations and towards playgrounds, he said regular physical activity was important in the digital age.
He called on sportspersons to encourage their peers to exercise and adopt a healthy lifestyle as ambassadors of the Fit India campaign.
“Young people could also contribute to the vision of a ‘Nasha Mukt Bharat’ and urged athletes to follow the Prime Minister’s mantra of ‘We Will Do It’ in working towards a Viksit Bharat,” he said.
At the inauguration, Patel and Sanghavi felicitated the top-performing schools from Khel Mahakumbh-2025. Knowledge High School in Nadiad, Kheda district, secured first place and received a trophy and Rs 5 lakh.
Urmi School in Vadodara came second and received Rs 3 lakh, while S.R. High School in Devgadh Baria, Dahod district, finished third and received Rs 2 lakh.
Mehsana was declared the overall state champion among districts, followed by Kheda as state runner-up and Ahmedabad as second runner-up.
Among municipal corporations, Surat secured the overall state championship, Ahmedabad finished runner-up, and Vadodara came third. The winning municipal corporations were presented with trophies.
Addressing the gathering, Sanghavi said the government was making efforts to encourage students and young people from schools, villages and cities to participate in the event and spend less time on mobile phones, television and other digital platforms.
“Sports instil sportsmanship in youth, teaching them to accept defeat gracefully and remain humble in victory,” he said.
Sanghavi said Khel Mahakumbh, which began in 2010 with around 16 lakh participants, had developed into a major sporting initiative and helped nurture athletes who had represented Gujarat and India at the Asian Games and other international events.
He added that the budget for athletes’ training and facilities had been increased fourfold under Patel’s leadership.
“The number of athletes selected under the Shaktidoot Scheme had also risen from 50 to 500, allowing more sportspersons to benefit from support,” he said.
The state government is working to strengthen sporting facilities at the taluka and rural levels, Sanghavi said, adding that Gujarat aimed to host the Commonwealth Games and other international sporting events in the coming years.
–IANS
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