Mandaviya confirms Telangana as host for Khelo India Youth Games 2026

Telangana will host the eighth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games later this year, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Wednesday, with the multi-sport event expected to be held in November.

The Games will return to southern India for the second time in three years after Tamil Nadu successfully hosted the 2024 edition. Bihar staged the previous edition in May 2025.

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Announcing the decision, Mandaviya said Telangana was well-equipped to host one of the country’s biggest grassroots sporting events and highlighted the government’s vision of taking major sporting competitions to different parts of India.

“In keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to spread major national events in all regions of the country, it is appropriate that Telangana should get the opportunity to host the prestigious Khelo India Youth Games. The state has the infrastructure and the enthusiasm to host these Games where at least 8,000 athletes, officials and support staff are expected to participate,” he said.

The minister also expressed confidence that the timing of the Games would help India’s next generation of athletes build on the momentum from the Asian Games in Japan.

“We should see some quality performances this year. The Khelo India Youth Games 2026 are coming at the back of the Asian Games in Japan and our athletes should be in peak form. The Games in Telangana will be a good time to celebrate as upcoming athletes will be able to see their heroes up and close,” Mandaviya added.

The Khelo India Youth Games have become India’s premier platform for identifying and nurturing young sporting talent, with thousands of athletes competing across multiple disciplines every year.

The 2025 edition in Bihar witnessed participation across 28 sports. While medals were awarded in 27 disciplines, e-sports featured as a demonstration event, reflecting the event’s evolving sporting landscape.

The competition also produced several standout performances. A total of 26 records were broken during the Games, including 13 national youth records, all of them in weightlifting. The remaining records came in athletics, where several meet marks were rewritten.

Maharashtra continued its dominance by topping the medal table in 2025, followed by Haryana and Rajasthan. Hosts Bihar finished 15th, while Telangana placed 13th overall.

In the 2024 edition hosted by Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra once again emerged champions, with the hosts finishing second. Telangana had a much stronger campaign that year, securing sixth place with 24 medals, including 13 golds.