Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has directed officials to keep the opening and closing ceremonies of the Khelo India Youth Games simple while ensuring secure, high-quality arrangements for the multi-city event scheduled from December 11 to 22. More than 7,000 young athletes and around 2,000 coaches, officials and support staff are expected to participate.
At a review meeting on Monday, Reddy asked officials to avoid unnecessary extravagance in the ceremonies in view of El Nino conditions and instead focus on foolproof arrangements. He also instructed departments to coordinate the games with preparations for the Invest Telangana Global Summit so that facilities and resources developed for the summit can also be used for the sporting event.
The eighth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games will feature competitions in 27 sporting disciplines and one demonstration event. Events will be held at 20 venues across six cities, including Hyderabad. The scale of the programme makes venue coordination, athlete accommodation, food services, transport and supervision central to its delivery.
Reddy reviewed infrastructure development works at the venues and said the facilities should meet international standards while remaining useful sporting assets after the games conclude. He directed officials to work towards permanent infrastructure that can help identify sporting talent among young people and support their development into international-level athletes, with the longer-term objective of producing Olympic medallists.
The chief minister also instructed the government to assign Group-1 officers supervisory responsibilities throughout the preparations and conduct of the games. Trainee officers and Group-1 officers posted in different districts are expected to oversee arrangements at the venues assigned to them. Weekly progress reports have also been sought to track the status of preparations.
The review placed the event within a wider state objective of using sports infrastructure for development beyond a single competition. Reddy said attracting investment in sports and promoting sports development were also among the objectives of the Invest Telangana Global Summit, creating an administrative link between the two events.
The state government was further directed to take immediate steps to include Karrasamu, a traditional martial art from Telangana, in the games under the host state’s quota. Athletes representing Telangana are currently undergoing training at Khelo India camps in districts across the state, according to officials who briefed the chief minister.
The preparations will now depend on the completion and supervision of works at all 20 venues, as well as the delivery of food and accommodation arrangements for athletes and support personnel. Weekly progress reviews and oversight by senior officers are the next stated mechanisms for monitoring readiness before the games begin on December 11.
