Women account for nearly 64% of participants, outnumbering men by over 1.63 lakh; competitions to progress from block level in November to divisional level in December across 11 sports
TFP Bureau, Raipur, November 6, 2026: The third edition of the Bastar Olympics has attracted an overwhelming response, with 6,00,492 athletes registering from all seven districts of the Bastar division. Women and girls have outnumbered male participants, accounting for 3,83,094 registrations against 2,18,398 by men.
Organised by the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare for the third consecutive year, the event aims to identify and nurture sporting talent, particularly among the region’s youth, while strengthening their participation in mainstream activities.
Deputy Chief Minister and Sports and Youth Welfare Minister Arun Sao congratulated the people of Bastar for their enthusiastic response. He said the previous two editions had received national-level recognition and that the Olympics continued to provide a platform for young people to demonstrate their sporting abilities. The initiative also seeks to strengthen the connection between the government and the public.
The competitions are being organised in three stages. Block-level events are scheduled from November 4 to 6, followed by district-level competitions from November 16 to 25. The divisional-level events will be held from December 7 to 11. Winners at the block level will advance to district competitions, while district-level winners will qualify for the divisional event.
Each district will be represented by 410 winning athletes at the divisional-level competitions. Hockey and weightlifting events, however, will be conducted directly at the district level.
Kanker recorded the highest number of registrations at 1,23,216, followed by Bastar with 1,04,841, Kondagaon with 85,584, Sukma with 80,313, Dantewada with 80,175, Narayanpur with 63,506 and Bijapur with 62,857.
Registrations were open from October 1 to 30. Female participation exceeded male participation by 1,63,696, reflecting the growing interest of women and girls in sporting activities across the region.
The event features 11 disciplines: athletics, archery, badminton, football, hockey, weightlifting, karate, kabaddi, kho-kho, volleyball and tug-of-war. Competitions are divided into junior and senior categories. Boys and girls aged 14 to 17 will compete in the junior category, while the senior category is open to men and women without any age restriction.
Special provisions have also been made for people who sustained disabilities due to Naxal-related violence and former Naxal cadres who have surrendered. They will be allowed to participate directly in the divisional-level competitions without going through the block and district stages.
The Sports and Youth Welfare Department has appealed to residents, parents and sports enthusiasts to attend the competitions and encourage participants.
