Khelo India Youth Games: Meaning, History, Medal Winners and Editions
The Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) are India’s flagship national multi-sport competition for young athletes, designed to identify, nurture, and develop sporting talent at the grassroots level. Launched in 2018, the Games have steadily grown into one of the most important platforms connecting school- and college-level sport with India’s high-performance ecosystem.
Khelo India Youth Games: Meaning, History, Medal Winners and Editions
Over the years, KIYG has evolved beyond just a medal-driven tournament. It now functions as a structured pipeline that feeds talent into national camps, academies, and elite training centres. With each edition hosted by a different state, the Games have also played a major role in spreading sports culture and infrastructure across the country.
The Khelo India Youth Games are an annual, multi-discipline sporting event conducted under the Government of India’s Khelo India programme. The primary objective of the Games is to promote sports participation among young athletes while creating a structured system for talent identification and long-term athlete development.
Athletes, primarily competing in under-17 and under-21 age categories, represent their states and Union Territories. They compete across a wide spectrum of Olympic, non-Olympic, and traditional Indian sports, making KIYG one of the most diverse sporting events in the country.
The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) and the Sports Authority of India (SAI), in collaboration with host state governments and National Sports Federations.
Team-based championship format:
Medals won by athletes contribute to their state or UT’s overall tally, encouraging collective performance rather than individual success alone.
Standout performers become eligible for Khelo India scholarships, access to structured coaching, and long-term training support under national development programmes.
The Khelo India Programme was launched with the objective of reviving India’s sporting culture through mass participation, competitive exposure, funding support, and improved sports infrastructure. Within this broader framework, the Khelo India Youth Games were conceptualised as the programme’s premier national competition for young athletes. The initiative began in 2018 as the Khelo India School Games, held in New Delhi, with a focus on under-17 school athletes, laying the foundation for a nationwide youth sports platform.
What is Khelo India Youth Games?
In 2019, the event was rebranded as the Khelo India Youth Games and hosted in Pune, Maharashtra, marking a significant expansion with the formal inclusion of under-21 athletes. From 2020 onwards, the Games adopted a rotational hosting model, with different states hosting each edition, while participation levels, the number of sports disciplines, and the overall scale of the event continued to grow steadily.
Today, the Khelo India Youth Games form a central pillar of India’s youth sports structure and complement other competitions under the Khelo India ecosystem, supporting athlete development across multiple age groups and sporting categories.
Key features of KIYG
The table below lists all officially conducted editions of the Khelo India Youth Games, including the inaugural school-level edition. The Haryana edition is referred to as KIYG 2021 or KIYG 2022 in different sources, as it was scheduled for 2021 but conducted in 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
From this record, Maharashtra has emerged as the most successful contingent in the history of the Khelo India Youth Games. Haryana has also been a consistently strong performer, particularly in disciplines such as wrestling, boxing, and weightlifting.
History of Khelo India Youth Games
While complete sport-wise medal tables are extensive, selected editions help illustrate broader performance trends and competitive patterns.
Established the foundational structure of the Youth Games with a clear focus on school-level talent identification.
Khelo India Youth Games: Year-wise Editions and Hosts
Marked the formal expansion of the Games to include under-21 athletes, significantly broadening participation.
Haryana finished close behind, continuing a strong inter-state rivalry.
Featured a broad sports programme with more than 25 disciplines, reflecting the growing scale of KIYG.
The host state recorded its strongest showing in KIYG history, highlighting the impact of hosting on local sports development.
These editions underline a recurring Maharashtra–Haryana rivalry, with several other states steadily improving in specific sports.
Strengthening of the Khelo India ecosystem
In 2026, the Government of India announced the
Mission, a long-term initiative aimed at strengthening grassroots sports, upgrading training infrastructure, and improving access to coaching and competition across the country. This mission is expected to further reinforce youth-level competitions such as KIYG.
Status of Khelo India Youth Games 2026
As of now, the 8th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games (2026) has not been officially scheduled with a confirmed host state or dates. However, multiple states have expressed interest in hosting future editions, indicating continued momentum and institutional support for the Games.
Expansion of related Khelo India events
The broader Khelo India calendar continues to expand, with events such as Khelo India Winter Games, Beach Games, and the newly introduced Khelo India Tribal Games planned for 2026. These initiatives reflect the government’s intent to widen the talent pool and offer competitive platforms across different regions and sporting environments.
The Khelo India Youth Games play a crucial role in strengthening India’s long-term sports pipeline by creating a structured bridge between grassroots participation and elite performance. The Games enable early talent identification, with promising athletes receiving scholarships, coaching, and access to structured training environments. They also drive state-level development, encouraging investments in sports infrastructure, academies, and qualified coaches. By featuring a broad mix of Olympic, non-Olympic, and traditional sports, KIYG promotes sporting diversity and inclusivity. Additionally, strong participation from women athletes across disciplines supports gender equity, making the Youth Games a reliable pathway to national camps and high-performance systems.
Since their launch in 2018, the Khelo India Youth Games have transformed the way young sporting talent is identified and developed in India. What began as a school-level competition has evolved into a comprehensive national platform that connects grassroots participation with high-performance pathways.
With consistent performances from leading states, rotational hosting across regions, and growing integration into India’s sports development framework, KIYG has firmly established itself as a cornerstone of the country’s youth sports ecosystem. As India continues to invest in structured talent development through initiatives like the Khelo India Mission, the Youth Games are set to play an even more influential role in shaping the next generation of national and international athletes.
- •What are the Khelo India Youth Games?
The Khelo India Youth Games are India’s annual national multi-sport competition for young athletes, primarily in under-17 and under-21 age categories, conducted under the Khelo India programme.
- •When were the first Khelo India Youth Games held?
The first edition was held in 2018 as the Khelo India School Games in New Delhi before being rebranded as the Youth Games in 2019.
- •What is the latest update on Khelo India Youth Games 2026?
As of now, the host state and schedule for KIYG 2026 have not been officially announced, but preparations under the expanded Khelo India framework are underway.
- •Who won the 7th Khelo India Youth Games 2025?
Maharashtra topped the medal table at the 7th Khelo India Youth Games (May 4–15, 2025). Maharashtra finished first with 58 gold, 47 silver and 53 bronze (158 total).
- •What is the theme of Khelo India Youth Games 2025?
The official KIYG-2025 site for the event (hosted by Bihar) presents the edition’s branding around the slogan “Khel Ke Rang! Bihar Ke Sang!” (celebrating Bihar as host). The event materials and state/central releases also used related promotional slogans (and local messaging such as “Khel se Desh, Khel se Vikas” in some publicity). For the official event-page theme text, see the KIYG 2025 site.
- •What is the mission of Khelo India?
The Khelo India programme’s mission is to revive the sports culture in India at the grassroots level by building a robust framework for sports participation, talent identification, infrastructure, and long-term athlete development. It aims to provide competitive exposure, scholarships and training pathways so India can produce more world-class athletes.
- •What is the old name of Khelo India Youth Games?
The event began in 2018 as the “Khelo India School Games” (Delhi). From 2019, it was rebranded as the Khelo India Youth Games when the format expanded to include under-21 athletes.
Sport I Play Team
The Sport I Play editorial team — passionate sports enthusiasts covering technique tips, fitness guides, and sports stories.