- Competitions will be organised at the block level from November 4-6, at the district level from November 16-25 and at the division level from December 7-11.
- Organising Bastar Olympics for the third consecutive year to recognise the creative and sporting talent of Bastar residents and prepare them as sportspersons – Shri Arun Sao
There is considerable enthusiasm throughout the Bastar division regarding the Bastar Olympics, being organized by the Sports and Youth Welfare Department for the third consecutive year. This year, more than six lakh athletes have registered to participate. Significantly, the women and girls of Bastar outnumber the men in their enthusiasm for participating. Of the total 6,492 registered athletes, 3,83,094 are women and 2,18,398 are men. The
participation of such a large number of athletes from all seven districts of Bastar division has given the event a comprehensive scope. The winners of these competitions, which begin at the block level, will showcase their athletic talent at the district and then division levels. The block-level competitions are scheduled from November 4th to 6th, the district-level competitions from November 16th to 25th, and the division-level competitions from December 7th to 11th.
Deputy Chief Minister and Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Shri Arun Saw commended the enthusiasm of the people of Bastar for the record number of registrations for the third edition of the Bastar Olympics. He noted that both previous editions have achieved national recognition. The Bastar Olympics is being held for the third consecutive year to strengthen the direct relationship between the government and the people, to connect the region’s youth with the mainstream, and to recognize their creative and sporting talents and develop them as athletes.
- Maximum registrations in Kanker
Players have been registered for Bastar Olympics from 1st October to 30th October. During this period, a total of 6 lakh 492 players have registered from all the seven districts of the division. In this, the number of women players is 1 lakh 63 thousand 696 more than men. In district wise data, Kanker is at the top with 1 lakh 23 thousand 216 registrations. 1 lakh 4 thousand 841 players have registered in Bastar district, 85 thousand 584 in Kondagaon, 80 thousand 313 in Sukma, 80 thousand 175 in Dantewada, 63 thousand 506 in Narayanpur and 62 thousand 857 players have registered in Bijapur. There is a lot of enthusiasm among the people of Bastar, especially women and youth, regarding Bastar Olympics.
- Opportunity to showcase sports skills at three levels
In Bastar Olympics, winners at the block level will participate in the district level competition, while the district level winners will get an opportunity to showcase their talent at the division level. 410 winning players from each district will represent in the division level event. Hockey and weightlifting competitions will be organised directly at the district level.
- There will be competitions in 11 sports.
Boys and girls aged 14 to 17 years are participating in the junior category, and men and women are participating in the senior category, without any age limit. There will be competitions in a total of 11 sports disciplines. These include athletics, archery, badminton, football, hockey, weightlifting, karate, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball, and tug-of-war.
Special arrangements have been made for players disabled in Naxal violence and surrendered Naxalites to participate in the Bastar Olympics. These participants will directly participate in the division-level event without going through the block and district-level competitions. The Sports and Youth Welfare Department has appealed to sports lovers, parents, and citizens of Bastar to reach the sports grounds in large numbers to cheer the players.