Abbreviation | NGI |
---|---|
Motto | " Get Set Play" |
First event | 1924 |
Occur every | Every 2 year, Sometimes uneven years |
Last event | 2023 |
Headquarters | Olympic Bhawan, B-29, Qutub Institutional Area, New Delhi |
Website | olympic.ind.in |
The National Games of India consist of various disciplines in which athletes from the different states of India participate against each other. The country's first few Olympic Games, now renamed as National Games, were held in North India (Delhi, Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Patiala, Madras (now Chennai), Calcutta (now Kolkata) and Bombay (now Mumbai).
In the early 1920s, the Indian chapter of the Olympic movement was born, and India participated in the 1920 Antwerp Olympics. [1] As part of this movement, a provisional Indian Olympic Association (IOA) came about by 1924, and the Indian Olympic Games were held in Feb 1924 in Delhi to select Indian competitors for the 1924 Paris Olympics. [2] IOA Secretary Dr. Noehren wrote about these games as follows: "The All India Athletic Carnival, the greatest and most representative gathering of its kind ever to be held in India, was recently celebrated in Delhi...Seventy athletes, representing practically every province and State in the Empire, comprising Hindus, Muslims, Anglo-Indians and Sinhalese, ate their food around the same table and mingled intimately in the cramped and uncomfortable quarters provided." [3]
The games were then held every two years, and were renamed as National Games during the 9th Games in Bombay in 1940. Indian Olympic Association, the sports organising body of the nation, mooted the concept of the National Games to promote the development of sports and of the Olympic movement in India, and was responsible for host city selection.
Each games was organised by the host city sports association, and each had its unique challenges. For example, in late 1949, the Bengal Provincial Olympic Association, whose turn it was to hold the next national games, could not do so, and the IOA President Maharaja of Patiala then asked Bombay to host the games; it had just three months to organise the event. Bombay government ministers and Bombay olympic association officials then worked to hold the 1950 National Games in Bombay in early February 1950.
While held at various cities, the organisation of each national games was roughly similar, with an overarching 'Jury of Honour and Appeal' comprising the main officials for the games; and other officials such as a General Manager and Managers; Referee; Official Surveyor; Judges; Starters; Clerks of the Course; Recorders; Announcers; Scorers; Marshals; and Photographers.
For example, at the 11th Games in Patiala, Feb 1944, the Jury of Honor and Appeal comprised Moinul Haq (Chair), N. Ahmed, S. K. Mukherjee, S. de Noronha, Sohrab Bhoot, J. N. Khosla, Raja Birindra Singh, A. C. Dass, M. S. Ahluwalia, BR Kagal, CR Dhodapkar, Nawab Hussain, S. V. Lingras, Dr. Kailash Singh, N. N. Kunzru, and P. K. Varghese. And the officials included 6 Managers for various sports, General Manager Kirpa Narain, announcers Bashir Ali Sheikh and Prem Kumar, and several judges.
At the 13th Games in Lucknow, Feb. 1948, the Jury of Honour and Appeal comprised Moinul Haq (Chair), M. Sultan, Sohrab Bhoot, D. N. Sharma, M. G. Nageshkar, Raja Bhalinder Singh, B. C. Holanti, Rameshwar Dayal, S. de Noronha, P. K. Verghese, N. Ahmed, A. C. Das, Kirpa Narain, P. C. Joshi, G. D. Sondhi, Janki Das, Harbail Singh, Vasant Captain, and A. R. Khanna. And the officials included General Manager M. Sultan and 8 Managers for various sports; Referee G. D. Sondhi; Official Surveyors G. D. Sondhi, N. Ahmed, Sohrab Bhoot, and M. Sultan; announcer David Abraham; and several judges and other officials.
At the 14th Games in Bombay, Feb 1950, the Jury of Honour and Appeal comprised G. D. Sondhi (Chair), N. Ahmed, R. Narain, Sohrab Bhoot, M. Sultan, R. Dayal, F. C. Aurora, S. S. Dhawan, Bhalinder Singh, M. G. Nageshkar, A. S. de Mello, S. K. Basu, B. C. Mahante, and C. C. Abraham. And the officials included Referee Moinul Haq; Manager in Chief Sohrab Bhoot; Managers Nariman Saugar and Y. A. Gole; announcer David Abraham; and judges and other officials.
For several years in the mid-twentieth century, the national games were conducted on a low key note. However, the first Modern National Games on the lines of the Olympics were held in 1985 in New Delhi. [4] Thereafter Kerala (1987), Pune, Maharashtra (1994), Bangalore, Karnataka (1997), Manipur (1999), Ludhiana, Punjab (2001), Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh (2002), Guwahati, Assam (2007), Ranchi, Jharkhand (2011), Trivandrum, Kerala (2015) and Ahmedabad, Gujarat (2022) hosted the Games. Like the early games, the modern games had their challenges: for example, a decision on the sixth modern National Games in Ludhiana, Punjab was delayed because the Central Government diverted funding for the first Afro-Asian Games. [5] The National Games were normally to be held every two years, leaving those years in which the Olympic Games and Asian Games are scheduled. In exceptional cases or natural calamity, the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) can relax the general rule. In practice, the games were often held at three to four year intervals in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s.
In recent editions, an emphasis has been placed on including and promoting traditional Indian games such as kho-kho and sqay. [6] [7]
List of National Games of India | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Edition | Year | Host(s) | Start date | End date | Sports | Events | Teams | Competitors | Top placed team |
Indian Olympic Games | |||||||||
1 | 1924 | Lahore | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
2 | 1926 | Lahore | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
3 | 1928 | Lahore | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
4 | 1930 | Allahabad | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
5 | 1932 | Madras | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
6 | 1934 | New Delhi | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
7 | 1936 | Lahore | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
8 | 1938 | Calcutta | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
National Games | |||||||||
9 | 1940 | Bombay | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
10 | 1942 | Patiala | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
11 | 1944 | Lahore | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
12 | 1946 | Lahore | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
13 | 1948 | Lucknow | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
14 | 1952 | Madras | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
15 | 1953 | Jubbulpore | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
16 | 1954 | New Delhi | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
17 | 1956 | Patiala | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
18 | 1958 | Cuttack | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
19 | 1960 | New Delhi | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
20 | 1962 | Jabalpur | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
21 | 1964 | Calcutta | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
22 | 1966 | Bangalore | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
23 | 1968 | Madras | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
24 | 1970 | Cuttack | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
25 | 1979 | Hyderabad | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
National Games (Summer Olympics format) | |||||||||
26 | 1985 | New Delhi | 19 November | 26 November | 26 | ? | 21 | ? | Maharashtra |
27 | 1987 | Kerala Venues: Cannanore, Calicut, Trichur, Cochin, Quilon and Alleppey | 20 December | 28 December | 22 | ? | ? | 6400 | Kerala |
28 | 1994 | Maharashtra Venues: Bombay and Pune | 16 January | 25 January | 27 | 290 | 28 | ? | Maharashtra |
29 | 1997 | Karnataka Venues: Bangalore and Mysore | 31 May | 11 June | 26 | ? | ? | 5245 | Karnataka |
30 | 1999 | Manipur Venue: Imphal | 14 February | 25 February | 27 | ? | 30 | 6278 | Manipur |
31 | 2001 | Punjab Venues: Ludhiana, Patiala, Jalandhar, Chandigarh, Anandpur Sahib and Mohali | 19 November | 1 December | 27 | ? | ? | 8000 | Punjab |
32 | 2002 | Andhra Pradesh Venues: Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Visakhapatnam | 13 December | 22 December | 30 | ? | 34 | 8000 | Andhra Pradesh |
33 | 2007 | Assam Venues: Guwahati | 9 February | 18 February | 32 | ? | 33 | 6800 | Services |
34 | 2011 | Jharkhand Venues: Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Dhanbad | 12 February | 26 February | 33 | 444 | 36 | 6979 | Services |
35 | 2015 | Kerala Venues: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Kochi, Kozhikode, Thrissur and Kannur | 31 January | 14 February | 33 | 405 | 37 | 7744 | Services |
Cancelled | 2020 | Goa | |||||||
36 | 2022 | Gujarat Venues: Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar | 20 September | 10 October | 36 | 382 | 37 | 7000 | Services |
37 | 2023 | Goa Venues: Mapusa, Panjim, Ponda, Vasco da Gama, Goa and Margao and Delhi (for Cycling (Track) and Golf event only) | 25 October | 9 November | 43 | ? | 37 | 10000+ | Maharashtra |
List of National Winter Games of India | |||
---|---|---|---|
Competition name | Number | Year | Venue |
National Winter Games | 1 | 1996 | Gulmarg |
2 | 2000 | Manali | |
3 | 2002 | Auli | |
4 | 2004 | Gulmarg | |
5 | 2008 | Gulmarg |
Year | Host | 1st Position | 2nd Position | 3rd Position |
---|---|---|---|---|
2002 | Andhra Pradesh | Andhra Pradesh | Punjab | Services |
2007 | Assam | Services | Manipur | Assam |
2011 | Jharkhand | Services | Manipur | Haryana |
2015 | Kerala | Services | Kerala | Haryana |
2022 | Gujarat | Services | Maharashtra | Haryana |
2023 | Goa | Maharashtra | Services | Haryana |
In recent times, the host states of National Games have consistently featured in the top 5 in the overall medal tally. Kerala had become the Champions when it hosted the event in 1987. The 1997 National Games was hosted by Karnataka and they won the largest number of medals. Manipur which had finished 9th in the 1997 National Games, became the overall champions when they hosted the event two years later. In 2001, hosts Punjab became the champions. Andhra Pradesh which had won only 11 Gold Medals in 2001 went on to become the Champions when they hosted it in 2002 winning a whopping 94 Gold Medals overall. Assam had managed to win only a single gold medal and had finished 21st position in 2001. But, in the subsequent 2007 National Games that they hosted, they were the second runners-up winning a total of 38 Gold Medals. In 2011, Assam finished 15th overall winning only 5 Gold Medals. Jharkhand had been in the 15th position in 2007 National Games. They rose to the 5th position when they hosted it in 2011. In 2015, hosts Kerala secured the second spot in the medal tally. One main reason for this trend is the higher number of participants from the host state and comparatively lesser number of participants from other states. [8]
Though National Games are supposed to be held once in 2 years, it is faltering on this schedule. It took Ahmedabad seven years to conduct the games after 2015 edition in Kerala.
The 34th National Games had been postponed six times before finally opening on 12 February 2011. [9] The 35th National Games were to be held at Thiruvananthapuram in 2012, it was then announced that it would be held from 31 January to 14 February 2015. [10] The 36th National Games were to be held at Goa [11] as announced at the closing ceremony of 35th National Games in Thiruvananthapuram, Goa contingent said the games would be held in November 2016, then it was postponed to November 2017, [12] however Goa has now declared it inability to host the games altogether. [13] Uttarakhand was to host the 37th National Games. [14] The 38th National Games were to be held after that in January 2019 in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh. [15] [16]
The 36th edition of the National Games was held in the year 2022 in the state of Gujarat.
The 2015 National Games organised in Thiruvananthapuram were associated with green protocols. [17] This was initiated by Suchitwa Mission that aimed for "zero-waste" venues. Waste Management programmes were implemented at the 29 venues. To make the event "disposable-free", there was ban on the usage of disposable water bottles. [18] The event witnessed the usage of reusable tableware and stainless steel tumblers. [19] Athletes were provided with refillable steel flasks. [20] It is estimated that these green practices stopped the generation of 120 metric tonnes of disposable waste. [21] Suchitwa Mission requested the help of volunteers to achieve the green objectives, [22] and the service of these 700 volunteers were applauded by the Chief Minister. [23]
Gatka is a form of martial art associated primarily with the Sikhs of the Punjab and other related ethnic groups, such as Hindkowans. It is a style of stick-fighting, with wooden sticks intended to simulate swords. The Punjabi name, gatka, refers to the wooden stick used and this term might have originated as a diminutive of a Sanskrit word, gada, meaning "mace".
The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a multi-sport event celebrated in New Delhi, India from 4 to 11 March 1951. The Games received names like First Asiad and 1951 Asiad. A total of 489 athletes representing 11 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 57 events from eight sports and discipline. The Games was the successor of the Far Eastern Games and the revival of the Western Asiatic Games. The 1951 Asiad were originally scheduled to be held in 1950, but postponed until 1951 due to delays in preparations. On 13 February 1949, the Asian Games Federation was formally established in Delhi, with Delhi unanimously announced as the first host city of the Asian Games.
The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) or Indian Olympic Committee (IOC) is responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Olympic Games, Asian Games and other international sports competitions, and managing Indian teams at these events. It goes with the name of Team India. It also acts as the Indian Commonwealth Games Association, responsible for selecting athletes to represent India at the Commonwealth Games.
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The National Rifle Association of India (NRAI) was founded on 17 April, 1951 with a view to promote and popularize the shooting sports in India as well as for self-defense teaching purposes. The NRAI arranges national-level shooting competitions and the trials that determine which athletes will represent the country in international events. It is also responsible for identifying and nurturing talented shooters who will compete in significant global competitions like the Olympics, Commonwealth Games, and Asian Games. The first speaker of Lok Sabha, Sh. G.V. Mavlankar founded the NRAI and served as its inaugural president. He was succeeded by Sh. Govind Vallabh Pant, Sh. Lal Bahadur Shastri, Sh. Y. B. Chauhan, Sh. G.S. Dhillon, and Sh. Joginder Singh. Sh. Raninder Singh took over the presidency in December 2010 and has held the position since.
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