The third Khelo India Youth Games was inaugurated at the Indira Gandhi Stadium in Guwahati on Friday night. Apart from Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Union Sports Minister Kirin Rijiju was also present on this occasion. Hima Das of Assam ran a torch relay with athletes from all 7 north-eastern states. Hima won gold in the 400 meters race of the IAAF World Under-20 Championship held in Finland in 2018. She is the first Indian to win a gold in an international track event.
The inauguration ceremony showed the unity of the country with magnificent cultural show. Around 25,000 spectators were present at the stadium to witness the ceremony. Around 6800 athletes from 37 states and union territories will participate in 20 sports at the Youth Games. The games will run from 10 to 22 January.
On this occasion, Assam Chief Minister Sonowal said, "I welcome all the athletes from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and Arunachal to Gujarat. Next 13 days you prove your ability in the playground. Because the whole country wants to see you play". At the same time, Sports Minister Rijiju said, "I want to assure the Assam government that the Center will fully cooperate in making it the sports capital of the country." First Prime Minister Narendra Modi was about to inaugurate the Youth Games. But it was postponed due to opposition over Citizenship Amendment Act in Assam.
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