KIUG players: Khelo India initiative has taken sports to new heights
Bharatpur: Many athletes and staff have arrived in Bharatpur, a city in eastern Rajasthan known for its UNESCO-recognized Keoladeo National Park, a bird sanctuary with hundreds of species of birds, and, of course, the Lohagarh Fort.
The fifth Khelo India University Games began on Monday, but the wrestling competitions began on Tuesday and will conclude on November 28th. 30 categories for men and women will be showcased for spectators at the Lohagarh Stadium, located not far from the highway that leads tourists directly to the magnificent Taj Mahal in Agra.
Several wrestlers arrived on Monday morning, and Ravinder Malik is one of them. Originally from Rohtak, Haryana, the 24-year-old is representing Janardan Rai Nagar Rajasthan Vidyapeeth in the 74kg freestyle category. This is his second Khelo India University Games. In the previous edition in the Northeast, he failed to win a medal. Malik, one of the top eight wrestlers in the All-India University Rankings participating in the 2025 KIUG, highly praised the Khelo India initiative.
He told SAI Media, “When I started wrestling eight years ago, not many children in the area I come from were interested in sports. But now, because of Khelo India events, children want to take up sports. There’s more participation, actually a lot more. There are better facilities everywhere, right from the grassroots level.”
Karuna, the 25-year-old coach of Samridhi of Shivaji University and Tanu Jat of Barkatullah University, echoed this sentiment. “When I used to play, the quality of mats was very poor, even at national events, but since Khelo India events started happening, the quality has really improved. Look at the mats we have here. They’re world-class.”
Karuna, who works at the National Centre of Excellence in Lucknow, says that Khelo India has brought a lot of awareness. He said, “Children now understand that they can do both things simultaneously, like they can play and study. This wasn’t the case before. Now there’s a good environment for it.”
Samridhi, who will compete in the 53kg freestyle, was excited and positive before the event and said, “I’m sure of winning a medal, I’m 100% sure of it. I hope it’s gold.”
Meanwhile, Kirti, a 22-year-old wrestler from Lovely Professional University in Phagwara, said, “Khelo is a good scheme. It gives a lot of encouragement to the athletes. Our diet has also improved.”
