Khelo India Youth Games 2025: Assam’s first team departs

The first batch of Assam’s contingent for the 7th Khelo India Youth Games, scheduled to be held in Bihar and Delhi from 4 to 15 May, departed from Guwahati on Thursday.

According to Assam’s Chef de Mission and Assistant Director of the Directorate of Sports and Youth Welfare, Naba Basumatary, the girls’ kabaddi and volleyball teams boarded the Rajdhani Express to Patna. Basumatary, along with athletes from judo, swimming, cycling, sepak takraw, and gatka, is set to travel on Friday.

This is the first time Bihar has been entrusted with hosting the Khelo India Youth Games. Competitions will be held across five cities in the state, while events such as shooting, gymnastics, and track cycling will take place in New Delhi.

Assam will participate in 17 of the 27 disciplines featured in this year’s edition. The state contingent comprises 135 members, including 105 athletes — 42 boys and 63 girls.

A ceremonial send-off was organised by the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Assam, on Wednesday at the Sarusajai Sports Complex. During the function, the official team jersey was unveiled and distributed, and the state government formally extended its best wishes to the contingent.

The event was graced by Kausar Jamil Hilaly, Special Secretary of the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, who attended as chief guest. Also present were Olympic archer and Arjuna awardee Jayanta Talukdar, international weightlifting coach Anup Konwar, and Deputy Director of Sports and Youth Welfare, Neel Harit Kausik, among others.

Nearly 10,000 athletes from 36 states and union territories are set to compete in the 7th Khelo India Youth Games.

Assam will field athletes in swimming, weightlifting, athletics, shooting, boxing, cycling, thang-ta, table tennis, yogasana, gatka, kalaripayattu, judo, gymnastics, mallakhamb, sepak takraw, and the girls’ kabaddi and volleyball events.

In the previous edition of the Games, held in Tamil Nadu, Assam secured 24 medals and finished 17th — the state’s best performance outside Assam. However, Assam’s best-ever showing came during the third edition of the Games, hosted in Guwahati in 2020, where the state bagged 76 medals, including 20 gold, finishing 7th overall.