National Games 2023: Here is the complete schedule

The National Games 2023 will be held in Goa from October 26 to November 9. With over 10,000 athletes expected to participate, the National Games 2023 promises to be a grand spectacle of Indian sports talent.

The National Games are India’s homespun Olympic-style multi-sport event where athletes from the various states and Union Territories compete for medals.

The National Games 2023 will feature a total of 43 sports, including both Olympic and indigenous disciplines, a significant increase from the 36 sports in the previous edition.

The National Games 2023 will mark the debut of several new sports, including beach football, roll ball, golf, sepaktakraw, sqay martial arts, Kalliyarapattu, and pencak silat. Additionally, yachting and taekwondo are making a return after their exclusion during the last edition. Traditional sports lagori and gatka have been included as demonstration sports.

Multiple venues throughout Goa will host the various competitions. Cycling and golf, however, will be held in New Delhi.

Goa has made extensive arrangements in the run-up to the grand opening ceremony that will witness Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating the sporting extravaganza at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on October 26.

As far as the Games Schedule is concerned, Badminton is the first discipline that will commence early from 19th October (Thursday) at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Stadium, Taleigao.

In the previous edition hosted in Gujarat, the Services Sports Control Board emerged as champion, representing the Indian Armed Forces. They secured 128 medals, including an impressive 61 gold medals. Maharashtra closely followed with 140 medals, which included 39 gold medals, establishing themselves as strong contenders. Haryana wasn’t far behind with an impressive 38 gold medals, contributing to their total tally of 116 medals.

This will be the first time Goa will host the National Games. Goa got the rights to host the National Games in 2008, initially scheduled for 2016 but hasn't been able to host the games for several reasons. After multiple postponements, IOA had to shift the venue to Gujrat last year, which agreed to conduct the event in a short period.

The National Games, formerly known as the Indian Olympic Games, made its debut in Lahore, undivided India, in 1924.