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Stars missing as Uttarakhand National Games begin on Tuesday | Other sports news

Stars missing as Uttarakhand National Games begin on Tuesday | Other sports news

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Most of the established stars will be missing in action, but thousands of other athletes, including upcoming ones, will get the platform to make a mark across 32 disciplines when the 38th National Games, spread across seven venues in the Hill State, begin in Dehradun on Tuesday with the official opening ceremony. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare the Games open at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium to kick off the 18-day national exhibition, which will see the participation of around 10,000 athletes and officials from 38 teams. In terms of sheer number of athletes, the event is among the largest in the world, although its relevance to the country’s international success has been debatable.

This time, the games will be held in seven cities of Uttarakhand, with Dehradun being the main venue.

The other venues for the Games, which will continue till February 14, are Haridwar, Nainital, Haldwani, Rudrapur, Shivpuri and New Tehri.

The last edition in Goa in 2023 saw competitions in five cities.

Hosting the national game has special significance for Uttarakhand as the state celebrates the 25th year of its creation.

‘Mauli’, inspired by Uttarakhand’s state bird ‘Monal’, is the mascot of the games, symbolizing the natural beauty, diversity and cultural heritage of the region.

The games will feature all the best Olympic sports such as athletics, swimming, shooting, wrestling, badminton, hockey, boxing, weightlifting, football, tennis and table tennis. Along with it, some traditional games like Kabaddi and Kho Kho will also make an appearance.

Four sports, Kalarippayattu, Yogasana, Mallakhambh and Rafting, will be demonstration sports (not medals).

Except for shooting, a major Olympic sport, most of the top stars from other disciplines are skipping the National Games due to various reasons.

All the shooters, who competed in the Paris Games last year, with the exception of double medalist Manu Bhaker and Esha Singh, are scheduled to be seen in action at the National Games.

Swapnil Kusale, Sarabjot Singh and Vijay Kumar will be among the Olympic medalists in action, while former air rifle world champion Rudrankksh Balasaheb Patil will represent his home state of Maharashtra.

In total, 364 shooters will represent 29 teams at the National Games, making shooting the star attraction of the Games.

World champion and Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Lovlina Borgohain and national record holder in the 100 million hurdles Jyoti Yarraji are among the other big names competing at the Games.

However, top track and field athletes, including double Olympic medalist Neeraj Chopra, will miss the games as it is early in the season and they need to peak during the world championships in Japan in September.

Maharashtra topped the medal count in the last edition held in Goa in 2023, and they have named the contingent from a huge contingent of over 600, hoping to retain the first place this time too.

“We hope to surpass the medal count and win more than 200 medals this time too. More than 600 athletes represent our state and there will be around 150 support staff and officials,” Maharashtra Olympic Association Secretary Namdev Shirgaonkar told PTI .

Maharashtra won 230 medals (82 gold, 68 silver, 80 bronze) in the last edition, followed by services, which won 124 medals (65 gold, 27 silver, 32 bronze). The services had emerged as the best team in the 2022 edition in Gujarat, winning 128 medals, including 61 gold.

The staging of three national games in the span of three years marked the resurgence of the multi-sport event after a long hiatus.

Before the 2022 edition in Goa, which was postponed several times due to delay in infrastructure preparation, Kerala hosted the National Games in 2015.

Meghalaya is all set to host the next National Games and the announcement is likely to come in the coming months.

Not among the leading sports state in the country, hosts Uttarakhand would hope to put up a strong performance and promote themselves as a hub for sports.

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