Srinagar: Odisha athletes will be in focus when the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) kicks off at the iconic Dal Lake here on Thursday.
The three-day water sports festival will see the country’s top national athletes vying for 24 gold medals.
A total of 409 participants – 202 of them women — from 36 states and Union Territories, will fight for the medal events in 14 kayaking and canoeing, and 10 rowing events, all of which are Olympic events.
Adding glamour to the first-ever consolidated Open-age category water sports championship will be three demonstration events – water skiing, shikhara boat spring and dragon boat race.
Odisha athletes are expected to face tough competition from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Kerala participants.
Odisha is being represented by the third-largest contingent of 34 athletes. Madhya Pradesh (44), Haryana (37) and Kerala (33) are the other ‘big’ states.
“Since Services will not take part in these Games as a team, it will be good to see how the states compete and perform. The course has been prepared keeping all international specifications in mind and we are all set to go,” said competition manager Bilquis Mir, a former World Cupper canoeist and an Olympic judge.
Arjun Lal Jat, an Army rower representing Delhi, will be one of the main attractions. The 28-year-old Jat has taken part in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won silver in lightweight double sculls at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
The Khelo India Water Sports Festival is a new addition to the Khelo India calendar, along with the Khelo India Beach Games that took place in Diu in May.
Opening ceremony & Day 1 events
The opening ceremony, to be attended by Union Minister of State Raksha Khadse, and other dignitaries of Jammu & Kashmir, will be held on Thursday evening from 6 pm.
Three gold medals – in kayaking and canoeing — will be decided on Day 1. All 10 rowing finals are scheduled on the final day, on August 23.
For kayaking and canoeing, the last Nationals held at Tehri (Uttarakhand) in November have been used as a qualifier. The top 15 in singles and doubles and top eight fours will be participating in KIWSF. For rowing, the top eight from the Nationals, in Bhopal in March, will take part.
