Gujarat to host 36th National Games before the assembly polls

New Delhi:Gujarat Cheif Minister Bhupendra Patel on Friday announced that the state will host the 36th National Games from September 27 to October 10.

"I am happy to announce that Gujarat will host the National Games from September 27 to October 10. I am grateful to the IOA for its prompt acceptance of Gujarat's proposals," Patel said in a tweet.

"While Gujarat is equipped with world class sports infrastructure and a new enthusiasm for sports is being witnessed among the people of the state, Gujarat will spare no effort in making this year's National Games the best ever," he added.

More than 7000 top sportsperson across the country are expected to showcase their might in 34+ disciplines including indoor and outdoor sports such as athletics, hockey, football, volleyball, lawn tennis, table tennis, judo, khushti, kabaddi, kho-kho, mallakhambha and yogansana.

The various sporting events will be spread across the state covering 6 cities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar. This will ensure a larger community movement through means of sports.

The last edition of the National Games took place in Kerala in the year 2015. Due to various reasons, including the pandemic, the games are now being organised after a gap of seven years.

Gujarat Sports Minister Harsh Sanghavi said: "We cannot wait to host the most talented sportsperson of our country on the biggest sporting platform. Organising these games in a record period of 3 months by optimally utilising the existing infrastructure, will set a new example and a role model for other states to conduct mega sporting events."(UNI)