Defending champions Panjab University will once again rekindle their competitive spirit as they aim to underline their supremacy at the 4th Khelo India University Games 2023, Ashtalakshmi, that kicked off on Saturday with the Kabaddi competitions but will be officially inaugurated on Monday (February 19).

The opening ceremony is expected to be a full house with popular playback and composer Papon set to perform at the Sarusajai Sports Complex, here on February 19. Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur will attend the ceremony alongside state Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be inspiring the athletes through a video message.

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In the last three editions of the Khelo India University Games (KIUG), Panjab University has won the overall crown twice (the inaugural edition in 2020 and the 2022 edition last year) with Jain University winning the 2021 title (deferred by a year due to Covid-19 pandemic).

The KIUG is an inter-university meet where athletes representing different institutes from all over the country vie for medals in a variety of sporting events. The KIUG is a part of the Indian government’s Khelo India initiative, launched in 2016, and focused towards promoting grassroots sports and identifying young talents from all across the country.

Since 2018, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports have organised six Khelo India Youth Games, three Khelo India University Games and four Khelo India Winter Games and multiple Khelo India Women’s Leagues in various sports. The inaugural Khelo India Para Games were held in New Delhi in December.

A total of Rs 2418 crore was allotted for the Khelo India scheme from 2016-2023 and further provision of Rs 3165 crore has been made for the next five years.

In the Khelo India University Games, Panjab University has been a dominant force, but faced stiff competition from second-placed Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar in the previous edition with a single medal separating the two.

At the 4th edition of the Games, Panjab University will field the third strongest squad of 151 members while Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar will have the largest contingent, comprising 238 members. Chandigarh University is sandwiched between the two with the second highest contingent of 165 athletes. Overall 10 universities have a contingent size, stretching to three digits.

As far as the home state is concerned, Dibrugarh University has the largest contingent with six members while Manipur University, with 19 athletes has the highest representation from the NorthEast region.

The KIUG will witness participation of close to 4,000 sportspersons, vying for a total of 262 gold, 263 silver and 297 bronze medals across 20 sports disciplines over the next fortnight with competitions being held in 18 venues across Guwahati and six other Northeastern cities.

Accordingly, Guwahati will host a total of 16 disciplines during the Khelo India University Games 2023, reflecting the state government’s dedication to providing world-class sporting infrastructure. This will include an array of events including athletics, rugby, basketball, volleyball, swimming,

badminton, hockey, fencing, kabaddi, women’s football, tennis, mallakhamb, judo, table tennis,

Women’s boxing, and shooting. The rest of the Northeastern cities will play host to six events, namely: archery, men’s football, men’s boxing, weightlifting, wrestling and yogasana.