Telangana schedules Khelo India Youth Games with 27 competitive sports

Telangana is preparing to stage the eighth Khelo India Youth Games from 11 December 2026 to 22 December 2026. Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya announced the programme on 9 November 2026. The schedule appeared in current affairs coverage on 10 November 2026. It lists 27 competitive sports. Softball joins the competitive programme for the first time, while sailing is listed separately as a demonstration event.

The host state is planning to hold events in six cities: Hyderabad, Hanamkonda, Karimnagar, Nizamabad, Mahabubnagar and Khammam. More than 6,050 athletes are expected. The list of competitive disciplines includes athletics, hockey, wrestling and swimming, as well as traditional sports such as gatka, kalarippayattu and mallakhamb. The two new points to remember about the schedule are the addition of softball to the competition and the separate status of sailing. The published programme gives the number of competitive sports and the planned host cities; it does not give results for an event that has yet to take place.

Facts to remember

• Host state: Telangana; edition: eighth.
• Scheduled dates: 11 December 2026 to 22 December 2026.
• The programme lists 27 competitive sports across six cities.
• Softball is a new competitive sport; sailing is a demonstration event.

Background

The Khelo India Youth Games are a national multisport event under the Khelo India programme. The previous edition took place in Bihar in 2025. The 2026 edition is a separate event with a new host state and its own programme of competitive and demonstration sports.

Why it matters for exams

For CLAT sports current affairs, revise the host state, edition number, competitive sport count and the different roles of softball and sailing.