Raipur, March 19, 2026: In the Khelo India National Tribal Games being hosted in Chhattisgarh, tribal athletes from across the country will showcase their talent across seven different sports disciplines.
Approximately 3,000 athletes from 32 states and Union Territories of the country are set to participate in this event.
During the event, competitions for both men’s and women’s categories will be held across five sports in the state capital, Raipur, while one sport each will be contested at the Bastar divisional headquarters in Jagdalpur and the Sarguja divisional headquarters in Ambikapur.
A total of 164 athletes from Chhattisgarh are participating in the games, comprising 86 male and 78 female athletes.
Preparations to bring the designated sports venues and grounds in all three cities up to international standards for the National Tribal Games are currently in full swing.
Football competitions will take place at the Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University Football Ground and the Swami Vivekananda Athletics Stadium (Kota) in Raipur. Hockey competitions will be held at the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel International Hockey Stadium in Raipur. Meanwhile, swimming events will be conducted at the International Swimming Pool in Raipur; archery at the open ground of the Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare; and weightlifting competitions at the Pandit Ravishankar Shukla University Open Ground.
Athletics competitions will be held at the Dharampura Sports Complex in Jagdalpur, while wrestling competitions will take place at the Gandhi Stadium in Ambikapur.
Two of the country’s traditional sports—Kabaddi and Mallakhamb—have also been included as demonstration sports in the Khelo India National Tribal Games. The Kabaddi competitions will be held at the Sardar Balbir Singh Indoor Stadium in Raipur, while the Mallakhamb demonstration will take place at the Gandhi Stadium in Ambikapur.
