Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced that Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 37th National Games in Goa on October 26. This event is anticipated to be unique and significant for the region, as Modi is set to inaugurate it at 6:30 pm in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda.
The National Games will encompass 43 different sporting disciplines and be hosted at 28 venues across various locations, including Panaji, Mapusa, Vasco, Ponda, Margao, and Colva Beach. Over 10,000 athletes are expected to participate in the Games, with nearly half of them being women.
A notable feature of these Games is the inclusion of five indigenous sports from Goa, showcasing the region’s rich sporting traditions. The scale of the event is expected to surpass previous editions, with more disciplines compared to the 2015 National Games hosted in Kerala and the 36 disciplines featured in the edition hosted by Gujarat.
The National Games, following an Olympic-style format, will involve participation from 28 states and 8 union territories and will span until November 9. Some events, such as cycling and golf, will be held in Delhi. This year’s Games introduce new sports disciplines like beach football, roll ball, golf, sepaktakraw, sqay martial arts, kalaripayattu, and pencak silat. Yachting and taekwondo, which were excluded in the last edition, will also make a return. Additionally, unique and culturally significant sports like ‘lagori’ and ‘gatka’ have been included as demonstration sports, adding a distinctive dimension to the event.
The Games have already introduced ‘MOGA’ as the official mascot, representing the spirit and identity of this sporting extravaganza.
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