Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the grand opening of the Khelo India University Games, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday welcomed all the participants to the sports-loving state of Odisha.
The Khelo India University Games are being organised by the Central government in association with the Odisha government.
The games will be held from February 22-March 1 at Bhubaneswar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to inaugurate the first-ever Khelo India University University Games.
Modi will address the opening ceremony of the games via video-conferencing.
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In a message to the participating students, the chief minister said: "The student life is one of the most memorable period in life and university student life has its own charm. He said that university student life presents a bold,confident, committed competitive and sportive life."
Khelo India University Games has provided a great platform for all the students to showcase their talent at the national level, Patnaik said, adding that he was optimistic that all the athletes will enjoy a comfortable stay in the sports-loving state.
The chief minister said that some of these athletes will go away with a medal, others with experiences and all with a great memory of sportsmanship.
He said that witnessing sports and sportsman spirit can inspire a generation to make our country a sporting powerhouse.
Patnaik also thanked Government of India, Sports Authority of India, Sports Federation, KIIT University and the state government for organizing the KIUG-2020.
"#KheloIndiaUniversityGames2020 in #Odisha is a uniqueplatform for 4000+ students all over the country to compete in17 disciplines. It furthers the nations mission of becoming asporting powerhouse and preparing the youth for a globalstage. #KIGOdisha2020," the CMO Odisha said in a twitter post.
PTI report
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