37th National Games
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi inaugurated the 37th National Games at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa. The Games were held from 26 October to 9 November and featured over 10,000 athletes from across the country, who will compete in over 43 sporting disciplines across 28 venues. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant honored the PM by presenting him a Kunbi shawl, a symbol of the state's culture and identity. At the venue, Modi greeted the audience attending the event.
Place
The event will be organized across 28 venues in the five cities of Goa, Mapusa, Margao, Panaji, Ponda and Vasco. This is the first time that the National Games are being held in Goa. Golf and cycling competitions will be held in New Delhi.
Game
The National Games 2023 will see the introduction of several new sports, including beach football, roll ball, golf, sepaktakraw, square martial arts, kaliyapattu and pencak silat. Additionally, sailing and taekwondo are making a comeback after their exclusion during the previous edition. Traditional games Lagori and Gatka have been included as demonstration games. Several venues across Goa will host various competitions. However, cycling and golf will be held in New Delhi.
Ticket Price:-
There is no need for tickets to attend various events. Visitors can access the venues with any government-issued and verified ID.
Goa's past history in National Games:
Goa had got the right to host the National Games in 2008 but due to various reasons it could not host the Games. Goa was set to host the 36th edition of the National Games, but the IOA had to shift the venue to Gujarat, which agreed to host the event at short notice. After some delays in 2018 and 2019 due to lack of infrastructure, the Games were postponed to 2020. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Games had to be postponed again as the Goa government expressed its inability to host.
History of National Sports
National games have been played for 99 years, but have never been played continuously. These games have been taking breaks from time to time. The Games were first organized in 1924 in Lahore (now in Pakistan). From 1924 to 1938, the National Games were known as the Indian Olympic Games. In 1940, its name was changed to National Games. In 1940, its hosting was handed over to Mumbai as the National Games. It continued to take place every 2 years until the 25th season in 1970. It was organized in Hyderabad in 1979 after a gap of 9 years. In the year 1985, National Games were organized in New Delhi on a large scale. It was organized in Summer Olympic format.