First Janjatiya Khel Mahotsav kicks off at KIIT

Bhubaneswar: The first Janjatiya Khel Mahotsav kicked off at KIIT Deemed to be University on Friday. Around 5,000 tribal athletes and 1,000 officials from 26 States have arrived here to take part in the sporting extravaganza.

The unique event, which promotes traditional sports and tribal culture, is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Culture and Odisha government. The Khel Mahotsav will conclude on June 12.

The opening ceremony was attended by Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal, Union Education and Skill Development Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey, Joint Secretary in Ministry of Culture Uma Nanduri and KIIT and KISS Founder Achyuta Samanta.

This is a significant event for KIIT as its sister organisation KISS provides free education to tribal children. Bheema, the event mascot, was unveiled during the opening ceremony.

Addressing the audience and athletes, the Governor emphasised the divinity of sports and highlighted the role of sports and yoga in building bridges. Sports not only contributes to spiritual enlightenment but also provides peace of mind, he said.

Pradhan said the Narendra Modi government has paid attention to promotion of sports, incorporating it into the curriculum under National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, wherein students can earn credit points. He praised the tribal communities for their remarkable presence in Indian sports, with 85 out of 100 athletes hailing from tribal background.