Bhopal.  Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav will inaugurate the Khelo MP Youth Games at 6 pm today. The Khelo MP Youth Games will begin at the Water Sports Academy, Boat Club, Bada Talab, Bhopal, with water projection, a laser show, spectacular fireworks, and performances by Shefali Alvares and Divya Kumar.

A grand inauguration will take place in the city of lakes.

The Khelo MP Youth Games are being organized for the first time in the country through joint coordination between the Sports Department and all recognized sports associations. The grand opening of MP's biggest sports extravaganza will take place in Bhopal, the city of lakes. The grandeur of Bhopal's lakes will be vividly showcased at the opening ceremony.

The competitions will be held in four stages.

The Khelo MP Youth Games logo, T-shirt, torch, anthem, and mascot will be launched at the event. The competition will continue until January 31st. The competition will be held in four phases at the block, district, division, and state levels, with approximately 150,000 players expected to participate. Players who excel in the Youth Games will be given priority in state team selection.

State level competitions from 28th to 31st January

The state-level winners will receive approximately ₹4 crore in prize money. The first prize will be ₹31,000, the second ₹21,000, and the third ₹11,000. The selection process will begin at the block level. Block-level competitions will be held from January 13th to 16th, district-level competitions from January 16th to 20th, division-level competitions from January 21st to 25th, and state-level competitions from January 28th to 31st.

28 sports competitions will be organized

A total of 28 sports will be contested at the Khelo MP Youth Games 2025. The department has appointed coordination officers to ensure better coordination with sports associations. Sports enthusiasts will be invited to the opening and closing ceremonies, and representatives from national sports federations will also attend as guests. Sports events will be held in regions with a strong tradition and popularity.

313 development blocks of the state will participate

State-level competitions are proposed to be held in Bhopal, Indore, Ujjain, Jabalpur, Rewa, Shivpuri, Gwalior, Sagar, and Narmadapuram. Following the block-level selection process, 313 development blocks across the state will participate at the district level. Teams from 10 state-level divisions—Bhopal, Indore, Jabalpur, Gwalior, Ujjain, Sagar, Rewa, Chambal, Narmadapuram, and Shahdol—will participate at the state level.

Competitions in 11 sports in three stages

Competitions in 11 sports will be held in three stages (block, district, and state level). These include hockey, boxing, athletics, kho-kho, swimming, table tennis, mallakhamb, wrestling, judo, chess, and weightlifting. Competitions in 10 sports will be held in four stages (block, district, division, and state level). These include football, volleyball, cricket, badminton, pitu, basketball, tennis, yoga, tug of war, and kabaddi. Competitions in archery, taekwondo, kayaking-canoeing, rowing, fencing, shooting, and throwball will be held directly at the state level.

Different venues for different sports

The venues for different sports are different. Athletics, Fencing, Boxing, Cricket (Men), Rowing, Kayaking (Canoeing), Swimming, Shooting, Hockey (Men), Throw-ball in Bhopal, Basketball, Weightlifting, Table Tennis, Tennis, Swimming in Indore, Women's Cricket in Shivpuri, Hockey (Women), Badminton, Pittu in Gwalior, Mallakhamb, Yogasana, Kabaddi, Tug of War, Wrestling in Ujjain, Kho-Kho, Archery in Jabalpur, Football in Rewa, Chess, Taekwondo in Narmadapuram, Judo competition in Sagar.