By Paritosh Pramanik
NAGPUR, Apr 8, 2026
TALENT is hidden in hinterlands and needs to be explored. Sports Authority of India (SAI) unearthed that talent, that too in abundance, during the just concluded 1st Khelo India Tribal Games held in Raipur.
The initiative of SAI will surely help Indian sports take a big leap. The first step in this direction was on display during the 10-day sporting events held at Raipur, Sarguja and Jagdalpur.
KITG dug deep into the tribal lands, invited athletes from forests and sportspersons crossed the finish lines with gold medal winning performances.
Over 3800 tribal athletes from 30 States of the country got first-hand experience when they took the field and showcased their talent, surprising many with shocking results.
There were a whopping 106 gold medals on offer across archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling while traditional sports like mallakhamb and kabaddi were the demonstration sports. Athletes from Jammu and Kashmir to far flung Lakshwadeep got an opportunity to dazzle on a national field. Swimmers made a splash in the pool, athletes set synthetic tracks on fire, wrestlers dominated the mats and archers shot the arrows with precision hitting bull’s eye.
All in all, the tribal athletes forced SAI selectors and talent hunters to turn their heads and acknowledge their performance.
Be it Karnataka swimmer Manikanta L, who bagged eight gold medals and a silver to help his side take top perch or the 15-year-old Anjali Munda from Odisha who dazzled with five yellow metals to outrace her much older opponents, the KITG gave wings to these athletes who were starved of good competition.
Abdul Fathah of Lakshadweep became the first long jumper from the Union Territory to clear a distance of 7m to win the gold medal.
The KITG provided sportspersons from tribal communities one major platform where they could excel. Best of the facilities to practice on and top-notch arenas to contest for medals were provided.
With India aiming to host the 2036 Olympics, KITG guided SAI to an altogether new avenue to pick sportspersons for the mega sporting extravaganza.
These Games helped sportspersons coming from different tribal regions overcome pressure situations. It also taught them how to stay calm in crunch situations.
The Games brought forth the fighting spirit among tribals who did not give up till the final whistle. They showed what raw power they possess.
Tribal athletes have brought laurels to India earlier too. Rajasthan archer Limba Ram, Jharkhand’s sensational Deepika Kumari, hockey Olympians, Dilip Tirkey, Salima Tete, football icon Sikkim’s Bhaichung Bhutia or ‘Magnificent Mary’ Kom from Manipur — these athletes were the flag bearers of Indian sports for years. They had worked tirelessly to reach the pinnacle of their career with limited facilities. But with KITG, tribal athletes got a platform at their doorsteps to excel.
Those selected will be getting the best of the facilities to train and will gain knowledge which they were shorn off.
This is just the beginning and in the coming years, KITG will become a factory of medal hunters.
At Raipur, seven disciplines were held and in coming years more disciplines will be added which will help in producing medals winners in abundance.
A little bit of guidance and training would help these sportspersons become ‘gold-diggers’ on international platforms.
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