Surguja Olympics in Ambikapur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai inaugurated the Surguja Olympics in Ambikapur, in which 3.49 lakh players participated. A budget of Rs 10 crore was announced for Bastar-Surguja Olympics and the construction of an Archery Academy of Rs 20 crore in Pandarapath was announced.
Raipur 21 March 2026. This auspicious beginning has taken place from the land of Maa Mahamaya in the holy period of Navratri. With the blessings of Mother Mahamaya, Bastar Olympics is being organized for the last two years and today the friends of Surguja region have got the opportunity to show their skills through the Olympics. Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Dev Sai today inaugurated the Surguja Olympics at PG College Ground in Ambikapur of Surguja district and after inaugurating the program he greeted the people of the region. During this, players from all the districts of the division gave the march past salute to Shri Sai. The Chief Minister accepted the greetings of all the players from the main stage and encouraged the players.
3 lakh 49 thousand players will reach Surguja Olympics
- Chief Minister Shri Sai remembered Mother Mahamaya and wished for the happiness and prosperity of the people of the state. He said that after the success of Bastar Olympics, now this event has been started in Surguja also, which will give the youth here an opportunity to showcase their talent. He told that 1.65 lakh participants took part in Bastar Olympics in the first year and 3.91 lakh this year, whereas this time around 3.49 lakh players have registered in Surguja Olympics. Of these, more than 2000 players are participating in the division level three-day competition.
- The Chief Minister said that the spontaneous participation of 3 lakh 49 thousand players shows their love and dedication towards the game. The Chief Minister said that the state government is committed to promoting sports and for this, a provision of Rs 10 crore has been made in the budget for the annual organization of Bastar and Surguja Olympics.
- CM informed that players participating in the Olympics will be given an incentive amount of Rs 21 lakh, while gold, silver and bronze medal winners will be given Rs 3 crore, Rs 2 crore and Rs 1 crore respectively. During this, the Chief Minister mentioned the efforts to eradicate Naxalism under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Shri Amit Shah and said that Bastar region is now moving rapidly towards development. The resolution of Naxal liberation is on the verge of being fulfilled by the indomitable courage of our soldiers.
- The Chief Minister said that a team of self-dedicated Naxalites in the name of Joa Bat took part in the Bastar Olympics, in which about 700 self-dedicated Naxalites participated.
Archery Academy being built in Pandarapath
The Chief Minister said that the youth are being connected to the mainstream through sports and the sports infrastructure of Bastar and Surguja region is being continuously expanded. He said that Archery Academy is being established in Pandarapath, Surguja at a cost of Rs 20 crore, which will provide better training to the young players of the area. Mentioning the state’s young athlete Animesh Kujur, the Chief Minister praised his achievements and said that there is no dearth of sports talent in Chhattisgarh. The state government is working dedicatedly to promote sports talents. He informed that for the first time, Khelo India National Tribal Games will be organized in Chhattisgarh, which will be inaugurated by Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on March 25. During this, Chief Minister Shri Sai also gave information regarding the Religious Freedom Bill recently passed in the Chhattisgarh Assembly and the establishment of the Staff Selection Board. At the end of the inaugural session, the Chief Minister along with the guests lit the torch of Surguja Olympics and congratulated them for the successful event.
Gold medalist Geeta Phogat encouraged
Commonwealth Games gold medalist Geeta Phogat also addressed the players in the program. He said that it is pleasant to see the participation of a large number of daughters in the Surguja Olympics. He gave the message to the youth to dream big and work hard to fulfill them, and also appealed to stay away from drugs and bad habits. Tourism Minister Rajesh Aggarwal said that a total of 3.49 lakh participants from 6 districts have registered for the Surguja Olympics, which includes 1.59 lakh men and 1.89 lakh women. In this three-day event, competitions are being organized in more than 11 sports disciplines. Agriculture Minister Ram Vichar Netam described this as a big gift for the people of Surguja and said that through this platform, local talents will get recognition at the national and international level. On this occasion, Minister Mrs. Lakshmi Rajwade, MP Mr. Chintamani Maharaj, MLA Mr. Prabodh Minj, MLA Mr. Ramkumar Toppo, Chairman of Chhattisgarh State Youth Commission Mr. Vishwa Vijay Singh Tomar, Mayor Mrs. Manjusha Bhagat, President of District Cooperative Bank Mr. Ram Kishun Singh, Chairman Mr. Harvinder Singh, Mr. Ram Lakhan Pankra, Secretary of Sports Department Mr. Yashwant Kumar, Divisional Commissioner Mr. Narendra Kumar Dugga, public representatives and officers were present.