Khelo India University Games in Rajasthan from November 24 – December 05; Sports Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya says KIUG ‘stepping stone to glory’
Reference is invited to the conduct the 5th Khelo India University Games 2025 from 24 Nov-5 Dec 2025 in Rajasthan across 7 cities. The final Games Schedule has been finalized in consultation with all the Stakeholders.
Khelo India University Games 2025 to start on November 24 in Rajasthan
KIUG 2025 will be held across seven cities – Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota and Bharatpur. More than 5000 athletes are expected to compete.
Khelo India University Games 2025 is scheduled to be held from November 24 to December 5 in Rajasthan, it was announced on Thursday.
KIUG 2025 will be held across seven Rajasthan cities – Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota and Bharatpur.
An integral part of the Indian government’s Khelo India initiative, this will be the fifth edition of the Khelo India University Games.
“The Rajasthan edition will highlight India’s expanding sporting landscape and will be a stepping stone to glory for many who aspire to represent the nation globally,” Indian sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.
More than 5000 athletes are expected to compete in the 12-day university meet. There will be 23 medal sports and one demonstration discipline in KIUG 2025.
The medal sports include archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, fencing, football, hockey, judo, kabaddi, mallakhamb, rugby, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, yogasana, cycling, beach volleyball and canoeing & kayaking.
Beach volleyball, canoeing & kayaking and cycling have been introduced in the KIUG programme for the first time, while kho-kho will be a demonstration event.
Rajasthan will be hosting the KIUG for the first time.
The inaugural Khelo India University Games was held in 2020 with Bhubaneswar, Odisha, playing host. Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh were the venues for the next two editions before the Northeast took centre stage in the previous edition.
A total of 770 medals – 240 gold, 240 silver and 290 bronze – were on offer at the 11-day KIUG 2024. Over 200 universities competed for the KIUG title last year, with around 4500 athletes taking part in 20 sports.
Chandigarh University won the team championships at KIUG 2024, which was co-hosted by Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland and Tripura.
Panjab University have won the KIUG title twice, while Jain University have won the title once.
Beach Volleyball, Canoeing and Kayaking, Cycling and Kho-Kho to Feature for the First Time at the 5th Khelo India University Games
The fifth edition of Khelo India University Games (KIUG) will be held in seven cities of Rajasthan from November 24th to December 5th, 2025. Competition will be held in 23 medal sports and one demonstration sport (kho-kho).
Like the Khelo India Youth Games in Bihar earlier this year, the University Games too will be spread across seven cities– Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota, and Bharatpur. More than 5,000 athletes are expected to take part in the 12-day University meet.
Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports and Labour & Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, said “The Khelo India University Games are a crucial link in India’s sporting pathway. Across the world, universities play a vital role in shaping champions, and KIUG provides our young athletes a platform to showcase their ability at a national level. The Rajasthan edition will highlight India’s expanding sporting landscape and will be a stepping stone to glory for many who aspire to represent the nation globally.”
Elaborating further, Dr. Mandaviya said “Under the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Khelo India initiative has created a robust ecosystem that encourages participation, talent development, and excellence. The University Games in Rajasthan will inspire thousands of students to pursue sports alongside academics and strengthen the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’ through competition and camaraderie.”
In KIUG 2025, there will be 23 medal sports and one demonstration discipline. The medal sports include archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, fencing, football, hockey, judo, kabaddi, mallakhamb, rugby, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, yogasana, cycling, beach volleyball, canoeing and kayaking.
Kho-kho will be a demonstration event. For the first time, beach volleyball, canoeing and kayaking, and cycling are being introduced in the KIUG programme.
In the last Khelo India University Games held in North-east India, Chandigarh University emerged champions. Lovely Professional University and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar finished second and third, respectively.
ABOUT KHELO INDIA
The Khelo India programme is the flagship Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, Government of India, launched in 2018 to revive the sports culture at the grassroots level and establish India as a global sporting powerhouse.
Objectives
- Mass Participation: Encourage widespread participation in sports across the country, making sports an integral part of a healthy lifestyle and education.
- Talent Identification and Development: Identify young and promising talent from the grassroots level and provide them with long-term training and financial support. Identified players in priority sports disciplines receive an annual financial assistance of INR 5 lakh for 8 years.
- Infrastructure Development: Create and upgrade state-of-the-art sports infrastructure across the country, including Khelo India Centres (KICs) and Khelo India State Centres of Excellence (KISCEs).
- Promote Inclusivity: Foster inclusivity by promoting sports among women, persons with disabilities, and in rural/indigenous communities.
- Establish a Competition Structure: Organize annual national-level competitions, such as the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) and Khelo India University Games (KIUG), to provide a platform for athletes to showcase their skills.
Scheme
- Creation and Upgradation of Sports Infrastructure.
- Annual Sports Competitions and Talent Development.
- Physical Fitness of School Children.
- Sports for Women, Persons with Disabilities, and for Peace and Development.
- Promotion of Rural and Indigenous/Tribal Games.
- Support to National/Regional/State Sports Academies.
Key Events
- Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG): An annual multi-disciplinary event for U-17 and U-21 age groups, providing a national platform for young athletes.
- Khelo India University Games (KIUG): An event for university-level athletes to compete and continue both their education and sports careers.
- Khelo India Winter Games: Competitions in winter sports disciplines held in snow-bound regions.
- Khelo India Para Games / Beach Games / Water Sports Festival: Recent additions to provide platforms for diverse sporting talents.
The Khelo India Scheme is the flagship Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. Khelo India Games are the basic platform to showcase sporting skills and, accordingly, become a platform for talent spotting and providing development pathways for gifted and talented children to achieve excellence. These National-level competitions are being organized in the true spirit of the Olympic Movement by associating various stakeholders like concerned National Sports Federations, School Games Federation of India, Association of Indian Universities, etc. Under this programme so far, 20 editions of Khelo India Games have been conducted across the country with seven editions of Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), four editions of Khelo India University Games, five editions of Khelo India Winter Games, and two editions of Khelo India Para Games, one edition of Khelo India Beach Games, and one edition of Khelo India Water Sports Festival.
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Rini Choudhury / Anjelina Alexander
English 