Khelo India Youth Games 2025: Bihar bags historic 36 medals
Bihar government's sustained efforts to nurture, promote, and incentivise sporting activities and culture have started paying rich dividends as the state has significantly upped its ranking from 28th position to 15th, winning a record 36 medals at the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) 2025 in its backyard.
The mega sports event concluded on Thursday with Bihar making its presence felt emphatically at the national level, first by successfully organising and subsequently improving its ranking and medals tally.
It is Bihar's best ever performance at the KIYG with the state fetching seven gold, 11 silver and 18 bronze medals. Bihar has won two gold medals each in Thang Ta, Rugby, and Athletics and one gold medal in SepakTakraw.
It has also witnessed a growth of 620 per cent over the last Khelo India Youth Games held in 2023, where it won five medals including two gold, two silver and one bronze. It was the state's second best performance.
Bihar ranked 21st and 24th at the sixth and fifth KIYG respectively, after finishing 28th in all the initial editions of the Games which began in 2018.
The state could barely open its account with a bronze medal in the 2018 games. In 2019, it won five medals, including one silver and four bronze but the medals tally increased to nine in 2020. Out of nine medals, the state could win just one gold and silver each and seven bronze medals.
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However, in 2021, Bihar witnessed a sharp decline in its medals tally as it returned home with just two. Bihar's overall medals tally was seven in 2022 and five in 2023.
In recent years, the Bihar government has taken umpteen measures to improve the state of sports affairs in Bihar and build infrastructure, creating a favourable environment for sports from the panchayat to the state level.
The government has provided other facilities such as national and international coaches, training, and support staff. It has come out with a sports scholarship scheme awarding INR 3 to 20 lakh to different categories of players.
Besides, the state government also came out a scheme 'Medal Lao, Naukri Pao' as per which players winning medals at national and international level get government jobs.
The government also came out with another scheme titled 'Mashaal' which is a talent hunt competition to identify, train and hone children's talent at school level to make them compete at national and international level.
BSSA DG Raveendran Sankaran said Bihar created history in KIYG as its athletes worked hard in the build-up to the Games. | Photo Credit: RV MOORTHY/The Hindu
On Bihar's performance at the KIYG, Bihar State Sports Authority Director General Raveendran Sankaran told the media, 'This is Bihar. We do not write history, rather, we create history. Our talented athletes have given wings to their dreams. It is the outcome of four years of hard work. Athletes were given training by specialised coaches in their fields. Even foreign coaches gave training to the athletes.'
The Sports Department and Bihar State Sports Authority were formed to give special attention to the development of sports, Sankaran said, adding that 'our athletes have worked hard for the Games.'
The Youth Games had commenced on May 4, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi through video conferencing. On the last day, decisive events for medals in Basketball, Wrestling and Fencing were played at Patna and Rajgir in the Nalanda district.
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