Pune: Maharashtra, who finished second in the inaugural Khelo India School Games 2018, are aiming to grab the top spot from Haryana as the Khelo India Youth Games are all set to start in Pune from Wednesday.
Maharashtra has close to 900 athletes and officials and coaches, which makes it by far the biggest contingent at the Games and will also have the benefit of having had some use of the improved sports infrastructure.
At the KISG 2018, Haryana picked 38 gold, 26 silver and 38 bronze, while Maharashtra finished with 36 gold, 32 silver and 42 bronze. Maharashtra, however, had the consolation of winning most medals, 110, as compared to Haryana’s 102.
Delhi, who were chasing Haryana and Maharashtra till the penultimate day were left far behind at 25 gold, 29 silver and 40 bronze and a total of 94 medals.
Other major medal winning states were Karnataka (16 gold, 11 silver and 15 bronze), Manipur (13 gold, 13 silver and eight bronze), Uttar Pradesh (10 gold, 24 silver and 27 bronze) and Punjab (10 gold, 24 silver and 20 bronze) were the other states to win ten or more gold.
The Balewadi Complex, which has hosted the Commonwealth Youth Games in the past has been refurbished with funds from the Centre and the state governments.
The Games will features well over 10,000 athletes, officials, managers and volunteers with visiting athletes and officials all staying in hotels in and around Pune.
The Balewadi sports complex will be the main venue, while archery will be held at the Army Sports Institute and Girls hockey matches will be at the NDA hockey ground in Pune. Football matches will be played at the Flame University ground and the police ground in Shivajinagar.
Youth Olympics gold medallists in shooting, Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary, as well as weightlifter Jeremy Lalrinnunga, will be among the cream of India’s young sporting talent competing at these Games.
