Raipur, Sept. 24 -- Chhattisgarh has been rapidly emerging as a sports destination in the country, with the state government making efforts to regularly host major sporting events and providing athletes with better platforms to showcase their talent.
The approach gained a national platform with the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026. Held across Raipur, Jagdalpur and Surguja, the inaugural event was dedicated exclusively to tribal athletes and featured athletics, football, hockey, weightlifting, archery, swimming and wrestling, with kabaddi and mallakhamb as demonstration sports. T
The men's 100-metre national record had been broken three times within two days, with sprinters Animesh Kujur, from Jashpur lowering it to 10.15 seconds.
Gyaneshwari Yadav of Rajnandgaon has emerged as a leading weightlifter. Her silver medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games, achieved with a personal best.
Aakarshi Kashyap has represented India in badminton, while footballer Kiran Pisda and kabaddi player . Sanju Devi represented India at the 6th Women's Asian Kabaddi Championship in Iran, winning a gold medal and helping India secure qualification for the World Cup.
During the State Sports Award Ceremony recently held in Raipur on National Sports Day, Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said that his government is committed to taking Chhattisgarh's sporting talent to national and international platforms.
The Chief Minister presented State Sports Awards to 126 outstanding players and coaches. Cash incentives were also provided to 540 other players. Altogether, 666 players and coaches received awards and incentives amounting to Rs 1.74 crore.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.