New Delhi, Jan 22 (PTI) A whopping 3298 athletes,including World Junior Champion shooter Anish Bhanwala andWorld Youth Weightlifting Championship silver medallist JeremyLalrinnunga will take part in the inaugural Khelo India SchoolGames (KISG), beginning from January 31.
The Khelo India School Games Organising Committee hasreceived as many as 3298 nominations till now, a release said.
Eventually, as many as 4452 athletes and officials from36 states and Union Territories are expected to feature in 16disciplines in which competitions will be held.
Bhanwala, 15, won the gold in the 25m standard pistolcompetition in the International Shooting Sport Federation(ISSF) Junior World Championship in Germany, in July lastyear.
While 15-year-old Jeremy Lalrinnunga from Mizoram, whotrains at the Army Boys Sports Company in Pune, won silver inthe International Weightlifting Federation's (IWF) WorldJunior Championships in Bangkok last April.
Andhra Pradesh recurve archer Bommadevara Dhiraj, freshfrom winning five gold medals in the School Games Federationof India (SGFI) National competition immediately afterclaiming silver in the Asian Continental qualifyingcompetition for the Youth Olympic Games, will be anotherhigh-profile competitor at the games.
Archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, gymnastics, judo,shooting, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling are the 10disciplines featuring individual competitors while basketball,football, hockey, kabaddi, kho-kho and volleyball are the sixteam sports that are part of the inaugural Khelo India SchoolGames.
The most confirmations have been received from Delhi(341) and Maharashtra (321). Haryana, which will end up withthe most entries in the games with 350, is in the process offinalising its nominations.
There is a total of 197 gold medals up for grabs in theinaugural edition of the Khelo India School Games.
Athletics will have the largest participation, with 640boys and girls vying for 36 gold medals. Swimming will feature592 competitors seeking to claim the 35 gold medals that areup for grabs.
Wrestling (30 gold medals) takes the third spot with 480grapplers, while boxing (26 gold medals) is the other sport inwhich more than 400 participants are expected to vie forhonours.
Gymnastics, whose popularity is on the rise in the wakeof Dipa Karmakar's spectacular showing in the CommonwealthGames 2014 and Olympic Games 2016, will have 84 competitors.
PTI APA SSCSSC.
This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Press Trust of India wire.