Jaipur to host fifth edition of Khelo India University Games in November

As many as 4000 athletes from more than 200 universities are expected to feature in the fifth edition of the Khelo India University Games (KIUG), which will be held in Rajasthan in November, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Wednesday.

“I am extremely happy to announce that the Khelo India University Games will take place in Rajasthan in November 2025. These Games are for under-25 athletes and will be coming after the under-18 Khelo India Youth Games that took place in Bihar in May this year. These Games offer great opportunities for athletes who seek a national platform to impress our numerous scouts eyeing the best talents in the country,” said Union Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.

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“Eight Khelo India University Games records were created in athletics in KIUG 2024. Five of them were created by men. “Worldwide, university students dominate multi-sport events. In Rajasthan, we hope to see some quality performances as we expect the athletes will be at their peak,” added Dr Mandaviya.

Poornima University, Jaipur has been assigned as hosts of the Khelo India University Games, while Rajasthan University, Jaipur will be the co-host of the prestigious 12-day tournament. All the competitions are expected to take place in Jaipur. Besides the two universities, the other possible venues include Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jagatpura Shooting Range, Rajasthan Police Academy and Vidyadhar Nagar Stadium.

Like previous editions, there will be at least 20 disciplines on the KIUG 2025 program. Chandigarh University had won the team championships at KIUG 2024, co-hosted by Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tripura.

A total of 770 medals – 240 gold, 240 silver and 290 bronze – were on offer at the 11-day KIUG 2024 held in North-east India for the first time. Over 200 universities competed for the KIUG 2024 title with around 4,500 athletes taking part in 20 sports.

Swimmer Pratyasa Ray of Utkal University, with four gold, one silver and one bronze, was the most successful female athlete. The honour of the most successful male athlete went to Jain University’s Xavier Michael Dsouza, who won four gold medals.

Lovely Professional University came second at KIUG 2024 with 20 gold, 14 silver and eight bronze for a total of 42 medals while Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev University were third with 12 gold, 20 silver and 19 bronze for a tally of 51.

Meanwhile, Olympic medallist Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore, who currently is Rajasthan’s sports minister, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for improving sports infrastructure in smaller cities under the Khelo India campaign. He said such efforts have helped prepare athletes who are performing well at the international level.