Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday announced the full schedule of the Khelo India Youth Games 2026, which Telangana will host from December 11 to 22, IANS reported. The flagship event of the sports ministry will feature 27 competitive sports and one demonstration sport.
Source: IANS via HiIndia
Close to 6,000 athletes and 1,800 support staff are expected to participate in the 12-day sports carnival, which Telangana will host for the first time in the history of Khelo India events, ANI reported in its account of the same announcement.
Source: ANI via Daily Prabhat
Venues in Hyderabad, including the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium complex in Basheerbagh and the Gachibowli sports complex, will stage 22 medal sports, while the remainder will be hosted by Khammam (archery), Hanumankonda (athletics), Karimnagar (judo), Nizamabad (table tennis) and Mahbubnagar (kabaddi), IANS said.
"I am very excited to announce the schedule of Khelo India Youth Games 2026. This will kick off a series of Khelo India events that have, over the years, provided a platform for talented athletes to showcase their prowess and then traverse on the pathway to excellence through our schemes. Since KIYG are coming at the back of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, we can expect to see some quality performances," Mandaviya said, according to IANS.
Softball will make its debut as a competitive sport, while sailing has been included for the first time in the Khelo India Youth Games programme as a demonstration event. "Our PM Narendra Modi has said that the sporting ecosystem must expand in such a way that we participate in a greater number of sports at the Olympics. PM Modi also said that we must promote sports played using our natural resources like seas and mountains. Sailing is one such sport, and we are extremely happy that our sailors will be part of the Games and help promote their sport," Mandaviya said.
The 27 competitive sports in the Telangana Games are: archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, fencing, football, gatka, gymnastics, hockey, judo, kabaddi, kalarippayattu, kho-kho, mallakhamb, rowing, shooting, swimming, softball, table tennis, tennis, thang ta, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling and yogasana. The previous edition was held in Bihar from May 3 to 15, 2025, where Maharashtra defended their title after topping the medals tally with 58 gold, 47 silver and 53 bronze medals — their fifth Khelo India Youth Games title and third in a row — while Haryana finished second with 39 gold and Rajasthan third with 24 gold. As many as 26 records were created in the Bihar edition, IANS reported.