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<\/p>\nTFP Bureau, Raipur, April 3, 2026: The inaugural edition of the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026 concluded with great enthusiasm and celebration, with Karnataka emerging as the overall champion after topping the medal tally. The multi-sport event, which brought together tribal athletes from across the country, witnessed intense competition across several disciplines and highlighted the immense sporting talent present in tribal communities.<\/p>\n
Karnataka finished at the top of the medal standings with an impressive tally of 23 gold, 8 silver and 7 bronze medals. Odisha secured the second position with 21 gold, 15 silver and 21 bronze medals, becoming the only contingent to cross the 50-medal mark with a total of 57 medals. Jharkhand finished third with 16 gold, 8 silver and 11 bronze medals. Host state Chhattisgarh also delivered a commendable performance, finishing ninth with a total of 19 medals, including 3 gold, 10 silver and 6 bronze.<\/p>\n
Around 3,800 athletes from 30 states and Union Territories participated in the historic inaugural edition of the Games. Competitions were held in seven major sports \u2014 archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling \u2014 with traditional disciplines such as Mallakhamb and Kabaddi featured as demonstration sports. In total, 106 gold medals were contested during the Games.<\/p>\n
Karnataka maintained its dominance throughout the competition, establishing an early lead in the medal tally from the opening day. The state\u2019s swimmers played a crucial role in securing the championship title by winning 15 gold medals along with 5 silver and 3 bronze in swimming events. Karnataka also added five gold medals in athletics and three in wrestling, ensuring that no other state could overtake its lead.<\/p>\n
Among the standout performers of the Games was Karnataka swimmer Manikanta L, who emerged as the most successful athlete by winning eight gold medals and one silver. His teammate Dhonish N also delivered an exceptional performance, securing five gold medals and one silver in swimming. In the women\u2019s category, Odisha\u2019s Anjali Munda won five gold medals in swimming, while Karnataka\u2019s Meghanjali secured four gold and two bronze medals.<\/p>\n
Odisha also displayed remarkable consistency, becoming the only team to win at least one gold medal in all six competitive sports disciplines. The state collected eight gold medals in athletics and seven in swimming, which helped it secure second place overall.<\/p>\n
Jharkhand, which finished third in the medal standings, also produced several impressive performances. The state secured nine gold medals in athletics, four in wrestling and three in archery while winning medals across all other disciplines as well.<\/p>\n
The final day of the Games featured intense competition in archery and football events. In the women\u2019s recurve individual archery event, former World Junior Champion Komalika Bari of Jharkhand clinched the gold medal by defeating Gujarat\u2019s Bhargavi Bhagora in the final. Bari had earlier also won a gold medal in the mixed team event, making her one of the standout archers of the tournament.<\/p>\n
In the men\u2019s recurve individual event, Odisha\u2019s Arjun Khara won gold after defeating his own teammate Somnath Hembram in the final. However, Jharkhand triumphed in the men\u2019s recurve team event by defeating Odisha in a closely contested match. In the women\u2019s recurve team event, Nagaland defeated Jharkhand to claim the gold medal.<\/p>\n
Football also produced thrilling moments on the final day. In the men\u2019s football final, West Bengal defeated host state Chhattisgarh 1\u20130 to win the gold medal. Chhattisgarh settled for silver, while Arunachal Pradesh and Goa shared the bronze medal.<\/p>\n
Overall, 25 states and Union Territories secured at least one medal in the Games, and 20 of them won at least one gold medal, highlighting the widespread distribution of sporting talent across tribal regions of India. Maharashtra finished fourth in the medal standings with 6 gold, 10 silver and 4 bronze medals, while Arunachal Pradesh secured fifth position with 6 gold, 1 silver and 4 bronze medals.<\/p>\n
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The closing ceremony of the Games was held at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium in Raipur in the presence of several distinguished guests. Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai described the event as a historic and memorable platform for tribal talent and said the enthusiasm witnessed over the past several days had drawn the attention of the entire nation.<\/p>\n
He stated that the Games had provided an important national stage for tribal athletes to showcase their abilities and emphasized that sports such as archery, running and wrestling have long been integral to tribal culture. Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya for their support in organizing the event, he announced that the Khelo India Tribal Games would now be hosted annually in Chhattisgarh.<\/p>\n
Congratulating the athletes from Karnataka, Odisha and Jharkhand for their top positions in the medal tally, the Chief Minister also praised the performance of Chhattisgarh\u2019s athletes, noting that the state had won 19 medals across various disciplines including swimming, athletics, football, weightlifting and hockey.<\/p>\n
To encourage athletes, the state government also announced cash rewards for medal winners. Gold medalists in individual events will receive \u20b92 lakh, silver medalists \u20b91.5 lakh and bronze medalists \u20b91 lakh. In team events, the rewards will be \u20b91 lakh for gold, \u20b975,000 for silver and \u20b950,000 for bronze.<\/p>\n
Deputy Chief Minister and Sports Minister Arun Sao described the Games as a major milestone in providing national exposure to tribal athletes. He noted that this was the first time such a large-scale sporting event dedicated to tribal talent had been organized in the country.<\/p>\n
The closing ceremony was attended by several dignitaries including international boxing champion Mary Kom and legendary footballer Bhaichung Bhutia, who joined athletes, officials and spectators in celebrating the success of the historic sporting event. The Games have been widely regarded as a significant step toward promoting sports culture in tribal regions and creating new opportunities for talented athletes from remote areas of the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
West Bengal wins men\u2019s football gold; Jharkhand and Odisha shine in archery as historic event concludes in Raipur<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[116,118,117],"tags":[1014],"class_list":["post-6691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breaking-news","category-chhattishgarh","category-state","tag-khelo-india-tribal-games-2026"],"yoast_head":"\n