Rupesh Samant

Panaji, Jan 28: The National Games Organising Committee (NGOC) will kick-off celebrations by announcing the official launch of the 36th edition of the National Games of India on January 31 at the GTDC Roof Top, Patto, here.

Kiren Rijiju, Union Minister of State (I/c) Youth Affairs and Sports will be the chief guest for the event. Wrestler Sushil Kumar, a two-time Olympic medalist along with India's first and only World Champion in Athletics Anju Bobby George will grace the occasion as the guests of honour.

The Indian Olympic Association, president, Narinder Dhruv Batra and Secretary-General, Rajeev Mehta will also be part of the event.

The grand launch event will take place in the presence of Dr Pramod Sawant, chief minister of Goa and chairman NGOC, Shripad Naik, Union Minister of State (I/c) for AYUSH and president of Goa Olympic Association, Manohar Ajgaonkar, Dy chief minister and Sports Minister of Goa, sport ministers of various states, sports secretaries of various states, sportspersons, NGOC members and other dignitaries.

The official mascot for the games will be making its grand entry and will be the main attraction for the games over the next nine months.

To be announced in much fanfare, the National Games curtain raiser will be held in a three-hour cultural programme that will see performances by renowned Goan artistes and would be hosted by popular television celebrity Anusha Dandekar.

Commenting on the launch event, Dr Pramod Sawant said, “After hosting the international sporting events like the Lusofonia Games and FIFA U-17 World Cup, Goa has emerged as one of the top sporting states in India. We are now all set to host the 36th National Games of India in October and to herald the beginning of the event, the official announcement has been scheduled on January 31. A series of promotional activities and spectator engagement initiatives have been planned over the ensuing nine months and we are keen to bring many more such sports events into Goa in the future.”

Secretary (Sports) and CEO NGOC, J Ashok Kumar (IAS) said, “This is a great opportunity for us to showcase the culture and heritage of Goa before the entire nation. Goa known as a popular tourist destination will soon be synonymous to an international sports destination. We aim to capitalize on Goa’s scenic beauty to attract sport lovers to visit the state and to experience a world-class sporting event. Goa will pave the way for redefining sport events in the country.”

#Goa2020 Games will witness over 12,000 participants from all the states and union territories vying for top honours in 37 different disciplines.

The National Games of India is the premier multi-discipline sporting event held in the country. The state government created a state-of-the-art infrastructure for this national sporting event. Recently, five indoor stadiums were inaugurated at Navelim, Sawalwada, Fatorda, Ponda, and Campal on a single day.