The fifth edition of the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) is set to take place in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in November, Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Wednesday.
The multi-sport event, open to athletes under the age of 25, is expected to attract participation from more than 4,000 student-athletes representing over 200 universities across India.
Poornima University and Rajasthan University will jointly host the event, which will feature competitions in at least 20 disciplines, continuing the format followed in previous editions.
The Games are designed to serve as a vital platform for young athletes to showcase their talent at the national level and attract attention from scouts and sports federations.
“I am extremely happy to announce that the Khelo India University Games will take place in Rajasthan in November 2025. These Games are for under-25 athletes and will be coming after the under-18 Khelo India Youth Games that took place in Bihar in May this year,” Mandaviya said in a Sports Ministry release.
“These Games offer great opportunity for athletes who seek a national platform to impress our numerous scouts eyeing the best talents in the country. Worldwide, university students dominate multi-sport events. In Rajasthan, we hope to see some quality performances as we expect the athletes will be at their peak,” he added.
The KIUG has become one of India’s largest grassroots sports initiatives, aimed at strengthening the university-level sports ecosystem. The 2025 edition follows the Under-18 Khelo India Youth Games, which were held in Bihar earlier this year in May.
The previous edition of the University Games was co-hosted by the seven Northeastern states — Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Sikkim, Nagaland, and Tripura — marked the first time the event was held in that region. It saw participation from around 4,500 athletes across 11 days, competing in 20 sports.
Chandigarh University emerged as the overall champion in the KIUG 2024, while Lovely Professional University secured second place and Guru Nanak Dev University from Amritsar finished third. A total of 770 medals were awarded, including 240 gold, 240 silver, and 290 bronze.
