PM Modi to open third edition of Khelo India University Games

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will declare the Khelo India University Games 2022 on Thursday evening via video conferencing.

The Khelo India University Games (KIUG) 2022 will kick off with a stunning opening ceremony in Lucknow. The games, currently in their third year, are the largest higher education-level multisport event in India.

Among those present will be Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Anurag Thakur, and Minister of State for Sports Nisith Pramanik.

The national anthem is performed by an Army band at 6.50 pm at BBD University Cricket Ground to officially start the 70-minute programme.

The schedule also includes songs and invocations, themed performances, torch animations, the lighting of the Games Torch by a well-known state sports figure, pyrotechnics, and the administering of the LIFE Mission oath, in addition to speeches by dignitaries.

The ceremonies will also feature the games’ mascot, Jeetu, who was modelled after the state bird.

Famous vocalist Kailash Kher will give a unique performance to cap off the event.

More than 4000 athletes from more than 200 institutions around the nation will compete in 21 sports during the third edition of the KIUG.

Four cities of the state, namely Lucknow, Varanasi, Gorakhpur, and Noida, will play host to the various sports, with Delhi’s Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range hosting the shooting competition.