Olympians Lakshya Sen and Ankita Dhyani will be hosts Uttarakhand’s flag bearers in the Athletes’ Parade at the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand today. (More Sports News)
♓Around 450 gold medals are at stake in 35 disciplines in the competitions that will conclude on February 13, a day before the closing ceremony in Haldwani
Olympians Lakshya Sen and Ankita Dhyani will be hosts Uttarakhand’s flag bearers in the Athletes’ Parade at the opening ceremony of the 38th National Games in Uttarakhand today. (More Sports News)
Among those leading their respective contingents are the 2019 World Champion and Olympian 10m air rifle shooter Elavenil Valarivan (Gujarat), women’s compound archery 2023 World Champion Aditi Swami (Maharashtra) and the 2018 World Shooting 𒀰Championships 50m pistol gold medal winner Omprakash Mithrawal (Rajasthan).
𝓰Dhanush Srikanth, the shooter who won gold medals in the World Deaf Shooting Championships, will be one of Telangana's flagbearers. "His presence reflects the Indian Olympic Association’s objective of inclusivity," said an IOA release, "with the National Games now also following established norms of having a male and a female flag bearer leading each team."
Other notable flag bearers are the captain of the Indian men’s kho kho team Pratik Walkar (Maharashtra), three-time Olympian archer Tarundeep Rai (Sikkim), Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games 10m air rifle team silver medallist Ashi Chouksey (Madhya Pradesh), wushu star Anjul Namdeo (Services) and badminton player Ashmita Chaliha (Assam).
ꩲArjuna Award winner Harinderpal Singh Sandhu, who was one half of the mixed doubles team which won the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games gold medal, will lead the Tamil Nadu contingent along with basketball international Dharshini Thirunavakkarasu who was adjudged the Most Valuable Player (Female) in the recent National Championships.
🀅Besides the Athletes’ Parade, the opening ceremony at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium will also witness the placing of the Games Torch in a hydraulic cauldron and the oath ceremonies.
⛎The ceremony will include an opening act inspired by Shiv Tandav and a thematic presentation on Dhairya, Shaurya and Nishchay (Patience, Valour and Determination). Jubin Nautiyal and Pawandeep Rajan will also perform at the ceremony.
𒉰Sen, who made history by becoming the first Indian male player to make it to the Olympic Games badminton semi-finals in Paris last year, will hand over the torch to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
💜Around 450 gold medals are at stake in 35 disciplines in the competitions that will conclude on February 13, a day before the closing ceremony in Haldwani.
When will the National Games 2025 Opening Ceremony happen?
ꦺThe National Games 2025 Opening Ceremony will take place on 28 January 2025 in Uttarakhand. The ceremony will start at 5:00 pm IST.
Where to watch the National Games 2025 Opening Ceremony?
💟The National Games 2025 Opening Ceremony will be available to watch on the YouTube channel of Prasar Bharati Sports.