Athletes will compete in eight sports, including six medal disciplines during the Khelo India Beach Games which conclude on January 10.
Diu, January 4 (MExN): The second edition of the Khelo India Beach Games will begin on January 5 at Ghoghla Beach, Diu, with more than 2,100 participants from across the country competing on the sandy coastline of the Arabian Sea.
The Games, concluding on January 10, are organised by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu under the technical supervision of the Sports Authority of India and national sports federations. Athletes will compete in eight sports, including six medal disciplines.
Beach volleyball, beach soccer, beach sepak takraw, beach kabaddi, pencak silat and open water swimming are the medal events, while mallakhamb and tug-of-war are being conducted as non-medal competitions. A total of 32 gold medals are at stake.
Manipur, Maharashtra and Nagaland were the top three teams in the inaugural edition of the Games, finishing with an equal tally of five gold medals each and being separated by silver medals.
As per a media release, Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said the Beach Games provide athletes with an opportunity to express their sporting skills on naturally available surfaces, while also contributing to the broader objective of building a sporting culture among the youth.
The opening ceremony of KIBG 2026 will be held at the Blue Flag-certified Ghoghla Beach. Praful Patel, Administrator of the Union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep, and Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, are scheduled to attend.
Competitions will begin with beach kabaddi and beach soccer matches. In the previous edition, Haryana dominated beach kabaddi, while Kerala (men) and Odisha (women) won gold medals in beach soccer.
The Khelo India Beach Games are held under the sports competition and talent development vertical of the Khelo India Scheme. The inaugural edition took place in Diu from May 19 to May 24, 2025, with the current edition aiming to further promote beach and water-based sports and enhance the visibility of disciplines played on sand and coastal terrain.
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