Goa to host 37th National Games in October 2023

Story by ANI | Posted by Tripti Nath | Date 09-10-2022

IOA Secretary General Rajeev Mehta

New Delhi

The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) announced on Saturday that the National Games 2023 will take place in Goa in October.

To prevent conflicts with significant international events, the dates for the 37th National Games will be decided later. "The date of the 37th National Games will be decided later keeping in view the dates of the 19th Asian Games, which will be held from September 23 to October 8 next year in Hangzhou, China," IOA secretary general Rajeev Mehta informed as quoted by Olympics website.

The 36th National Games, which were initially scheduled for 2016, were to be hosted in Goa while the 35th edition was conducted in Kerala in 2015. The major event was relocated to Gujarat earlier this year after being delayed again and further because of COVID-19. The National Games are now taking place.

Goa will be hosting the National Games for the first time this year. Athletes from many States and Union Territories of India compete for medals at the National Games, a multi-sport event with Olympic-style roots. The current National Games feature over 7,000 competitors competing in over 30 sports, including non-Olympic ones.

Finding athletes with the potential to represent the nation at the Olympics is the goal of the National Games. Over the years, the National Games have featured notable Indian athletes including Neeraj Chopra, P.T. Usha, Dipa Karmakar, and Sajan Prakash.

In unrecognised India, Lahore hosted the first National Games in 1924. Six Gujarati cities Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, and Bhavnagar are hosting the current Games.

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