The Khelo India University Games 2020 concluded on Sunday with an impressive closing ceremony. Panjab University beat Savitribai Phule Pune University with a last-minute medal to be crowned champions of the inaugural edition. The two prevailing universities ended with 17 gold medals each. But Panjab University, with a total tally of 46 medals (19 silver, 10 bronze) as against Pune’s 37 (11 silver, 9 bronze), took away with the coveted trophy.
Attended by a host of dignitaries, led by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, IOA President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra, Odisha Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Founder of KIIT and KISS, MP Dr Achyuta Samanta and AIU Secretary General, Dr. Pankaj Mittal, the closing ceremony fittingly lauded the athletes and their triumphant universities.
“The first edition of the KIUG has been truly successful. All the participants have given their best and many of them have shown great potential,” Rijuju said. “Our aim now is to organise the Khelo India University Games regularly and make it, along with the Youth Games, the platform that paves the way for our future Olympic medallists. We aim to get into the top 10 in the medals tally after the 2028 Olympics,” he added.
Chief Minister Patnaik too expressed satisfaction in the way his state Odisha organised the Games. “I”m extremely glad that KIUG 2020 has been organised in such a smooth manner. I”m sure it will help young athletes in achieving great heights for the country,” he said.
Host university’s founder Samanta appreciated everybody engaged in making the Games a success and claiming that they had less than two months to put everything in place and pull it off.