While taking part in a Garba night at one of the 36th National Games sites in Vadodara, Gujarat, India’s top javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra danced with his fans. By unexpectedly attending the event on Wednesday, Chopra increased the excitement and joy of his followers.
Thousands of people, including India’s Golden Boy @Neeraj chopra1, attend a special Garba night in #Vadodara. When he unexpectedly appeared in front of his followers at the location of the “#36thNationalGames #NationalGames2022,” the excitement and jubilation at the garba ground increased. Chopra made history earlier this month when he became the first Indian to ever win the renowned Diamond League trophy, an elite athletics competition, and he did it by throwing the farthest of his career (88.44 metres) to secure the victory.
The 36th National Games will be officially launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday during a lavish Opening Ceremony that will take place at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad. The Prime Minister will also address competitors in the National Games from all throughout the nation. Other dignitaries like the Union Minister for Youth Affairs & Sports, Anurag Thakur, will also be present during the inaugural ceremony.
National Games are being held in the state of Gujarat for the very first time. It will be organised from 29th September to 12th October 2022. Nearly 15,000 sportspersons, coaches, and officials from across the country will be participating in 36 sports disciplines, making it the biggest National Games ever. The sporting events will be organised in six cities of Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar.
Olympic Games Weightlifting silver medallist Mirabai Chanu will be the biggest draw at the Mahatma Mandir Complex in Gandhinagar when the 36th National Games gather steam on Friday, with competitions in nine more sports beginning a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared the Games open at a spectacular ceremony.
The women’s 10m Air Rifle contest featuring home favourite, Olympian Elavenil Valarivan and West Bengal’s Mehuli Ghosh will also capture attention at the Ahmedabad Military and Rifle Training Centre here. On a day when three Shooting gold medals will be decided, 2012 Olympic Games silver medallist Vijay Kumar’s comeback will also be watched with much interest.
Besides Weightlifting, Friday will offer athletes in Archery, Athletics, Fencing, Gymnastics, Kho-Kho, Roller Sports, Rowing and Wrestling the opportunity to showcase their skills on the grandest stage in Indian sport. There will also be gold medal matches in Rugby 7s in Ahmedabad and Netball in Bhavnagar.
The Table Tennis events were held in Surat last week to facilitate the country’s best to compete before heading to China for the World Championships. The early phase of competition in Kabaddi, Rugby 7s and Tennis in Ahmedabad as well as Netball in Bhavnagar started a couple of days ago. Lawn Bowls in Dholera and the 25m Rapid Fire pistol event here have seen some action already.
Medalists at the Commonwealth Games Sandeep Kumar and Priyanka Goswami lead the entrants for the men’s and women’s 20-kilometer walks at IIT Gandhinagar. Additionally, the jumping pit will receive a lot of attention following the success of the triple jumpers Eldhose Paul and Abdulla Aboobacker in the Commonwealth Games. The Mahatma Mandir complex, which is close to IIT, will come alive with medal competitions in weightlifting, fencing, and wrestling, while the Sabarmati Riverfront will showcase the top Indian rowing and roller sports athletes. Additionally, archery and kho-kho competitions will begin in the Sanskardham School’s wooded surroundings.
In addition to Ahmedabad, the National Games caravan has also visited Surat and Bhavnagar. On Friday, the Gymnastics competition will begin in Vadodara. In the five-day competition, the men’s and women’s team medals in artistic gymnastics will be chosen first.
The gymnasts who will captivate the crowd at the Sama Indoor Sports Complex with their skill that combines power and grace include Pranati Nayak (West Bengal), Protistha Samanta (Tripura), Satyajit Mondal (West Bengal), and Saif Tamboli (Services), who competed in the most recent Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.