DW BUREAU

"Sports Mahakumbh 2025" will be held in Haryana in two phases in August in which athletes from across the state will take part in 26 disciplines, said state sports minister Gaurav Gautam on Thursday. Haryana has emerged as a leader in sports due to the state's athlete-centric policies and consistent medal wins at national and international events.

Continuing the legacy, the "Sports Mahakumbh 2025" will be held and it will be organised in two phases starting August 2, with 15,410 athletes participating in the event, he said.

CM Saini will inaugurate the event at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium, Panchkula on August 2. The first phase will run till August 4.

The minister said that the winners will receive sports gradation certificates, which will help them avail reservation in government jobs. The minister expressed pride that Haryana athletes have won medals in each of the last five Olympics. He added that the "Sports Mahakumbh" will be held in Panchkula, Faridabad and Sonipat. A total of 2,102 medals will be awarded -- 836 in the first phase and 1,266 in the second.

The second phase will be held in the last week of August, he said.

The minister claimed that the "Sports Mahakumbh" will be bigger than many national-level sports events. For comparison, around 8,000 athletes participate in the Khelo India Youth Games organised by the Sports Authority of India, while over 15,000 will compete in this

Mahakumbh.

(editor@dailyworld.in)