PANAJI: After a wait of nearly a decade, Goa has got the nod to host the National Games “anytime in 2023”, state Sports Minister Govind Gaude said on Wednesday.
The infrastructure required for hosting the games in Goa would be ready by December this year, PTI quotes Gaude as having said, while making the announcement in the State Assembly late on Wednesday night.
“The Government of Goa has received an email from the Indian Olympics Association in consultation with the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports that the state will be the host for the 37th National Games anytime in 2023 (emphasis ours),” Gaude told the House.
The last National Games were held in Kerala in 2015 and Goa was to host the 36th edition in November 2016.
After two delays in 2018 and 2019 due to the coastal state’s inability to create adequate infrastructure, the Games were further postponed to 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic then forced the postponement of the National Games to 2022 but the Goa Government was still unable to deliver on it due infrastructure development lacunae.
Gaude, meanwhile, said he had already informed members of the Goa Legislative Assembly that the state would be ready to host the National Games by December.
