The 36th National Games of India were held in Gujarat from 29 September to12 October. Thirty six states and UTs participated in, what can be called, the biggest sports event of the year in the country. The events were held in Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot and Bhavnagar.
A two-day grand sports carnival was also organised by Surat on 17 and 18 September and it was such a huge success that the Municipal Corporation decided to extend it to another week. Since it was Navratri, several elite athletes from other states dressed up in traditional Gujarati attires and played Garba and Dandiya.
Indian Masterminds spoke with Ms. Shalini Agrawal, Surat Municipal Commissioner, and Mr. Jagrut Nayak, Chief Security Officer of Surat Municipal Corporation to get more details.
THE 36th NATIONAL GAMES
Thirty six can be considered a special number for Gujarat this year, as the 36th National Games was held here with 36 states and UTs as participants in 36 sporting games. The games included, athletics, field hockey, football, volleyball tennis, etc. Traditional sports such as kabaddi, kho kho and yogasana were also a part of the mega sporting event.
The new Union Territories of Ladakh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu also made their National Games debut this time . Along with them, a team representing the Indian Armed Forces also participated in the Games.
The official logo and motto of the games were unveiled on 22 July 2022. The logo depicts an Asiatic lion head made up of sporting pictograms and the Statue of Unity. The official motto of the games was ‘Celebrating unity through sports’. The game’s mascot was Savaj, the Asiatic lion.
GAMES HOSTED BY SMC
Surat was the first city to hold the first few games of the event. Games like table tennis, badminton, and beach volleyball were hosted by the Surat Municipal Corporation, District Administration, and Surat Police. Along with this, Surat also hosted the closing ceremony of the event.
“Table tennis and badminton were organised in Pandit Din Dayal Upadhyay Indoor Stadium whereas Beach Volleyball was organised at the Dumas Beach. The events in Surat were held till October 9and the closing ceremony took place on 12 October,” shared Shalini Agrawal, Surat Municipal Commissioner.
The National Games were held after a long span of seven years and Gujarat became the first state to host the events after this hiatus. All the events and the carnival associated with it were planned and executed within a short span of just three months.
“The opening ceremony was inaugurated by the honourable Prime Minister on 29September and the closing ceremony hosted the Vice President, the Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and the honourable Chief Minister of Gujarat,” Ms. Agrawal further informed.
CARNIVAL WAS A HIT
Gujarat began building momentum around the games even before the main event began. It hosted pre-games activation programmes across schools and colleges as well as grand sports carnivals across the state.
A two-day grand sports carnival was organised by Surat on 17 and 18 September and it was such a huge success that the Municipal Corporation decided to extend it to another week. Several elite athletes from other states also took part in the carnival.
“We encouraged people to come and participate in the carnival. Along with Garba cultural event, food festival was also organised where people could come and taste the best dishes that our state has to offer. This made people aware of the national games that were going to take place and brought a wave of excitement among all,” Mr. Jagrut Nayak, Chief Security Officer of Surat Municipal Corporation, told Indian Masterminds.
“We tried to create an atmosphere where people could feel connected with sports. Our idea was to motivate the youth and encourage them to participate more in sports and gaming events,” Ms. Agarwal said.
STARS GRACED THE OCCASION
The state also invited gold medallists from Commonwealth Games and other international sports events to interact with the state’s players. The new players interacted with these stars and understood the integrity of the sports. They were motivated by their words which upped their game.
Sporting icon of the 21st century and a shining beacon for sportswomen in India, PV Sindhu, also attended the carnival and interacted with the youth present there. She talked about her challenges and journey and imparted important tips to the young players.
PROPER ARRANGEMENTS IN PLACE
The Surat Municipal Corporation took care of all the transportation and accommodation of the players coming from all over the country, with the support of the Sports Authority of Gujarat and the District Administration.
The players were taken to the sports carnival as per their wish. They also participated in the cultural events. Since it was Navratri, the biggest festival of Gujarat, many players, including PV Sindhu, dressed up in traditional attires and absorbed the culture and tradition of the state. They also played Garba and Dandiya as part of the cultural event.
“The star player also shared her experience and enjoyed the whole vibe of the place and the event! It was lovely to see her participate in the cultural event,” Ms. Agarwal said.
Being the first city in Gujarat to host the week-long games, Surat could successfully set off an appropriate momentum for the National Games through a variety of games and carnivals, and set a high bar for the other cities to follow.
