Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai Participates in Chhattisgarh’s First-Ever Sports Conclave
Our government is committed to promoting sports in the state; Rs. 100 Crore Allocated for Mukhyamantri Khel Utkrisht Mission: Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai
Chief Minister Shri Sai distributed incentives to 11 individual medal winners and three teams of Khelo India Tribal Games
Raipur, July 28, 2026/
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai participated in the concluding session of Chhattisgarh’s first-ever Sports Conclave, organised by the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare in Raipur on July 28. During the event, he distributed incentives to athletes who won medals for Chhattisgarh at the country’s first Khelo India Tribal Games, held in the state earlier this year.
The day-long conclave brought together sports administrators, policymakers, sports scientists, renowned athletes, experts and representatives of sports federations from across the country to deliberate on improving sports infrastructure, talent identification, athlete training and the overall roadmap for sports development in Chhattisgarh.
Addressing the conclave, Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai said the extensive discussions among experts would provide meaningful direction to the state’s efforts to strengthen sports and athlete development. He said the conclave would prove to be a milestone in promoting sports in Chhattisgarh. Emphasising the government’s commitment to the sector, he said Rs. 100 crore has been allocated in this year’s budget under the Mukhyamantri Khel Utkrisht Mission to strengthen sports infrastructure. He also informed that the state government has recently approved a list of 156 outstanding sportspersons, who will receive benefits in government employment in the future.
He said the state has organised initiatives such as the Bastar Olympics, Sarguja Olympics and the Khelo India Tribal Games to provide quality competitive platforms for sportspersons. Nearly four lakh participants took part in the Bastar Olympics, while around 3.5 lakh athletes participated in the Sarguja Olympics. He stressed the need to provide talented sportspersons with adequate opportunities and resources, adding that the government is actively working towards this goal.
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare Shri Arun Sao said the conclave would play a significant role in making Chhattisgarh a leading sporting state. Under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai, consistent efforts are being made to improve sports and athlete development across the state. He said Chhattisgarh’s geographical conditions naturally produce physically and mentally strong youth, and the government is preparing a strategy to identify and nurture sporting talent from the primary school level. He added that the valuable suggestions and guidance from experts during the conclave would be incorporated into a comprehensive action plan to ensure effective implementation.
Chief Minister Shri Vishnu Deo Sai distributed the incentive to 11 individual medal winners and three teams that brought laurels to Chhattisgarh at the Khelo India Tribal Games 2026. The Chief Minister announced the incentives during the closing ceremony of the Games on April 3. Chhattisgarh secured 19 medals, including 3 gold, 10 silver, and 6 bronze in the Khelo India Tribal Games.
Among the medal winners, Nikita won a gold medal in weightlifting. Rishika Kashyap (weightlifting), Anushka Bhagat (swimming), and Lakshman Sodhi, Abhishek, Damru Kumar, Gajendra Thakur and Tilak Barse (athletics) won silver medals. Manish Kumar (athletics), Nikhil Khalko (swimming) and Lucky Babu (weightlifting) secured bronze medals.
The Chief Minister distributed Rs. 2 lakh each to individual gold medallists, Rs. 1.5 lakh each to silver medallists and Rs. 1 lakh each to bronze medallists. In the team events, the women’s football team, which won the gold medal, received Rs. 22 lakh, the men’s football team, which secured silver, received Rs. 16.5 lakh, and the men’s hockey team, which won bronze, is awarded Rs. 9 lakh.
Secretary, Department of Sports and Youth Welfare Shri Yashwant Kumar, Director Smt. Tanuja Salam, Olympian Shri Jinson Johnson, eminent educationist and sports scientist Dr Ratnesh Singh, Secretary General of the Chhattisgarh Olympic Association Shri Vikram Sisodiya, high-performance analyst Shri Ronak Kothari, PEFI National Secretary Dr Piyush Jain, Deputy Director General of Khelo India Shri Mayank Srivastava, former international cricketer Shri Rajesh Chauhan, along with athletes, coaches, district sports officers and representatives of sports associations from across the state were present in conclave.
