15,000 athletes to take part in Sports Mahakumbh: Haryana minister

Haryana’s Minister of State for Sports Gaurav Gautam has said that despite constituting only 2 per cent of the country's population, the state’s athletes contribute to 60 per cent of India's medal wins at international competitions. Continuing this legacy, Sports Mahakumbh 2025 will begin in two phases starting August 2 with 15,410 athletes participating in 26 different sports.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini will inaugurate the event as chief guest at Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula, on August 2. The first phase will run till August 4.

While addressing a press conference at the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh, the Sports Minister said athletes from all 22 districts and Haryana Sports University, Rai (Sonepat), will participate. In both phases of the event, a total of 2,102 medals will be awarded — 836 in the first phase and 1,266 in the second. The second phase will be held in the last week of August.

The minister highlighted that Haryana’s Sports Mahakumbh would be bigger than many national-level sports events. For comparison, around 8,000 athletes participate in the Khelo India Youth Games organised by Sports Authority of India, while over 15,000 will compete in this Mahakumbh.

He further stated that according to Haryana’s sports policy, winners of the Sports Mahakumbh would receive sports gradation certificates, which help in availing 3 per cent reservation in government jobs.