Sports get a leg up in TG as city to host Khelo India Games 2026

Highlights

   •  Khelo India Games 2025 already scheduled for Bihar
   •  State government prioritises sports development, infrastructure, and competitions
   •  Telangana’s sports budget increased tenfold for development and growth

Hyderabad: Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya has responded positively to the request of the Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy to provide the hosting rights of the Khelo India Games 2026 in Hyderabad.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had requested the Centre to hold the Khelo India Games in Hyderabad. Although the CM requested to host it next year, Union Minister Mandaviya assured to hold the games in 2026 as the decision to host it in Bihar in 2025 was already taken. The State government's special representative, AP Jitender Reddy, handed over the written request to the Union Minister on Thursday.

Revanth Reddy mentioned in the letter that many national-level competitions, including the 32nd National Games (in 2002), Afro-Asian Games, and 7th World Military Games, were held in Hyderabad. In the letter, the CM Revanth Reddy reminded that the present government was giving more priority to the sports sector compared to the previous ten years of rule and that all the necessary facilities were in place to organise national-level competitions.

In the letter, CM Revanth reminded that the sports complexes in Gachibowli have an international standard indoor stadium, swimming pool, synthetic athletic track, hockey turf, shooting range, a multipurpose indoor stadium (air-conditioned) in Saroornagar, synthetic tennis court, skating track, outdoor stadium, an indoor stadium at LB Stadium along with a tennis complex, football ground, KVBR indoor stadium, a facility for organising water sports at Hussain Sagar, a cycling velodrome, synthetic athletic track, swimming pool, skating track, a football ground at Gymkhana-2 ground, along with facilities for organising outdoor games.

CM Revanth reminded that the Centre has been giving due priority to the development of sports and has been organising Khelo India Youth Games, Winter Games, Para Games, and University Games every year since 2018. He reminded that the State government has increased the allocation for sports tenfold in the budget this time compared to last year. He stated that not only the infrastructure required for organising sports is there, but also train and air facilities to reach the athletes, and there are also many famous star hotels and other accommodation facilities. The letter also stated that the State government was not only giving priority to sports but was also formulating a special policy to encourage the youth and that the Chief Minister himself is managing that department. Jitender Reddy reminded that after Telangana became a State, it has achieved special recognition compared to other States not only economically but also in many fields, and the State government is clearly aware of organising sports competitions and grooming the best athletes in the future.