New Delhi, Feb 13 (IANS): Indian women's hockey team captain Rani Rampal believes the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) will further uplift the level of the sport, with new raw talent from various universities across India getting the platform to showcase their talent.

The 25-year-old, who recently bagged The World Games Athlete of the Year 2019 Award, said: "I firmly believe that the Khelo India University Games is a great initiative by the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports. They (the ministry) first started the Khelo India Youth Games and now the Khelo India Universities Games, which is really amazing when you look from the global perspective."

"Majority of the athletes in other countries play sports internationally after playing at least some form of university-level games, and now that we are implementing similar strategies here in India, we will be able to find many more talented players at the university level, just like we are finding talented youth via the Khelo India Youth Games," said the Indian captain.

"There is a lot of raw, young talent across our country, who are maybe not able to dedicate themselves fully to their favourite sport. But Khelo India University Games will give them a platform to perform, and show their raw talent," she added.

The first edition of the KIUG will take place in Odisha from February 22 to March 1.