The National Games to be held in Uttarakhand in January and February 2025 will follow the 2020 Tokyo Olympic model by rewarding players with medals made from recycled e-waste metals. The fortnight-long sporting event will be plastic-free, with e-buses being the only mode of transportation for the players.
This will be the first time in the history of the National Games in India that medals made from e-waste will be presented to the winners. A similar plan was followed in the 2020 Olympic Games held in Tokyo when winners were presented with medals crafted from e-waste metals.
The Uttarakhand government has assigned the task of crafting the e-waste metal medals to a private company.
Uttarakhand will host the National Games for the first time with the event theme ‘Green Games’, as decided by the state government and the Indian Olympic Association (IOA). According to officials from the state sports directorate, besides awarding players medals made from e-waste, only e-buses will be used to transport them from hotels to the competition venues.
Significantly, Uttarakhand will host the 38th National Games from January 28 to February 14, subject to likely amendments in the dates, as announced by the state government. More than 10,000 players from different states will take part in the 18-day-long sporting extravaganza.
The Uttarakhand Sports Directorate has committed to making the event plastic-free. No plastic materials will be provided to players from their arrival to departure. The state sports directorate or IOA will not provide plastic water bottles or disposable glasses. Even plastic glasses will not be used with water containers provided for the players at the sports complex during events. Players and team members will have to use their own bottles if needed.
In the National Games, e-buses will be used to transport players from the airport, railway station, and bus station to the stadium. Despite the increasing traffic pressure in the mountainous region, this initiative ensures that the environment remains unharmed.
In addition, the clothes to be worn by players, officials, and managers during the National Games will be made from recycled plastic. “This experiment is being conducted as an environmentally friendly approach to hosting a mega sporting event. The ‘Green Games’ theme will set a new trend and encourage other states to follow suit. Uttarakhand will be remembered for this innovative initiative,” said State Sports Director Prashant Arya.