Khelo India Youth Games 2026 to be held in Telangana from December 11 to 22

Telangana will host the eighth Khelo India Youth Games from December 11 to 22, 2026, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Monday. The 12-day sports carnival will be hosted by Telangana for the first time in the history of Khelo India events.

Hyderabad will be the main venue, with various venues in the city, including the Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium complex in Basheerbagh and the modern Gachibowli sports complex, staging 22 medal sports.

The remainder will be conducted at Khammam for archery, Hanumankonda for athletics, Karimnagar for judo, Nizamabad for table tennis, and Mahbubnagar for kabaddi. Close to 6,000 athletes and 1,800 support staff are expected to participate.

New sports and competition details

The Games will feature 27 competitive sports and one demonstration event in sailing. Softball will make its debut as a competitive sport while sailing has been included for the first time in the Khelo India Youth Games programme as a demonstration event.

Rowing has replaced rugby in the list of competitive sports because Telangana picked rowing over rugby, which was the sport of choice for the previous edition's host Bihar.

The 27 competitive sports are archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, fencing, football, gatka, gymnastics, hockey, judo, kabaddi, kalarippayattu, kho-kho, mallakhamb, rowing, shooting, swimming, softball, table tennis, tennis, thang ta, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, and yogasana.

Previous edition and context

The previous edition of the Khelo India Youth Games was held in Bihar from May 4 to 15, 2025. Maharashtra defended their Khelo India Youth Games title after topping the medals tally with 58 gold medals, 47 silver, and 53 bronze.

It was their fifth KIYG title and the third on the trot. Haryana, who have won two KIYG titles, finished second with 39 gold medals, 27 silver, and 51 bronze, while Rajasthan were third with 24 gold, 12 silver, and 24 bronze medals.

As many as 26 records were created in the Bihar edition. Eight were created by girls, out of which five were national youth records in weightlifting.

Minister’s statement

Mandaviya said the Games will kick off a series of Khelo India events that have over the years provided a platform for talented athletes to showcase their prowess and then traverse on the pathway to excellence through the ministry's schemes.

Since KIYG are coming at the back of the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, he said they can expect to see some quality performances.

He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the sporting ecosystem must expand so India participates in a greater number of sports at the Olympics, and that sports played using natural resources like seas and mountains must be promoted.

"Sailing is one such sport and we are extremely happy that our sailors will be part of the Games and help promote their sport," Mandaviya said.

What happens next

The eighth Khelo India Youth Games will begin on December 11 and conclude on December 22, 2026, across Hyderabad and the districts of Khammam, Hanumankonda, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, and Mahbubnagar.

Medal tally from the previous edition in Bihar

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Sources

• thekashmirmonitor.net

• rediff.com

• newsable.asianetnews.com

• Wikipedia: Khelo India Youth Games (background)

• Photo: Richard Mc Neil, CC BY 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons)