A refurbished track will welcome the athletes when the Khelo India Youth (under-17 boys and girls) Games (KIYG) will be inaugurated at the Nehru Stadium here on Friday. The Games conclude on January 31. A renovated velodrome for cycling at the Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University (Melakottaiyur) will be an added attraction.
With more than 5,000 sportspersons across 26 disciplines taking part, KIYG will witness hectic competition in the events happening in four cities — Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchi. Most of the discipline — 20 — will be held here.
Maharashtra, the defending champion, has been a powerhouse, having won the overall championship three times and finishing runner-up twice in the last five editions.
Vijay Bapurao Santan, chef-de-mission of Maharashtra, is confident of the side repeating its dominance this time around.
“We are prepared. There was tough competition from Haryana and Madhya Pradesh in the last two editions. We have selected the best athletes with the support of the Maharashtra Government and our respective State Associations,” he told The Hindu.
With a contingent of 415, Maharashtra will be eager to perform better in the disciplines it has not done well earlier.
“We have done really in archery, boxing, swimming, shooting, and athletics. We must do far better in cycling and kabaddi.”
Meanwhile, host Tamil Nadu, in a release, said it has set a target of finishing in the top three in the medals tally. Consisting of a 522-member contingent, TN’s chef-de-mission J. Mercy Regina, said the State is hoping to close in on a century of medals.
“The State government has been investing heavily in identifying and nurturing talent at the grassroots level and the contingent shows how much progress we have made. With the World Beaters Talent Spotting Scheme, 27 sports hostels have been established,” said Regina.
Explaining the rationale for her optimism, she added: “In the earlier edition, we had a restriction on the number of players we could field based on the national ranking. But being the host this time, we can field a larger contingent.”
