National Games: India
An overview
NATIONAL GAMES
The genesis of the National Games is in the Olympic movement, which gathered momentum in the country in the 1920’s. The need to identify national talent that could be picked for the Olympic Games, prompted the initiation of the National Games. The culmination of the efforts of Dr A. G. Noehren and Harry Crowe Buck to assimilate and channel the energy of the youth through a pan-India sporting event led to the launch of the 1st edition of the Indian Olympic Games at Lahore in an undivided Punjab in 1924. The first three editions were all held in the city of Lahore. After the eighth edition in 1938 in Calcutta, the event was christened as the National Games. The city of Lucknow hosted the National Games in its first post-independence avatar while the first National Games on the lines of the Olympics were held in 1985 in New Delhi.
The duration and the regulations of the National Games are entirely within the jurisdiction of the Indian Olympic Association.
Notwithstanding the frequent periods of stresses and strains, the Olympic Movement has not lost its sheen or vigour. On the contrary, it is strengthening thanks to the involvement of the state governments across the country in creating sophisticated state-of-the-art infrastructure in centres like Guwahati, Ranchi, Kerala and now Goa.
SUMMER NATIONAL GAMES
1924 I Indian Olympic Games, LAHORE
1926 II Indian Olympic Games, LAHORE
1928 III Indian Olympic Games, LAHORE
1930 IV Indian Olympic Games, ALLAHABAD
1932 V Indian Olympic Games, MADRAS
1934 VI Indian Olympic Games, NEW DELHI
1936 VII Indian Olympic Games, LAHORE
1938 VIII Indian Olympic Games, CALCUTTA
NATIONAL GAMES
1940 IX National Games, BOMBAY
1942 X National Games, PATIALA
1944 XI National Games, LAHORE
1946 XII National Games, LAHORE
NATIONAL GAMES: POST INDEPENDENCE
1948 XIII National Games, LUCKNOW
1952 XIV National Games, MADRAS
1953 XV National Games, JABALPUR
1954 XVI National Games, NEW DELHI
1956 XVII National Games, PATIALA
1958 XVIII National Games, CUTTAK
1960 XIX National Games, NEW DELHI
1962 XX National Games, JABALPUR
1964 XXI National Games, CALCUTTA
1966 XXII National Games, BANGALORE
1968 XXIII National Games, MADRAS
1970 XXIV National Games, CUTTAK
1979 XXV National Games, HYDERABAD
NATIONAL GAMES (OLYMPIC FORMAT)
1985 XXVI National Games, NEW DELHI
1987 XXVII National Games, KERALA
1994 XXVIII National Games, MAHARASTHRA
1997 XXIX National Games, KARNATAKA
1999 XXX National Games, MANIPUR
2001 XXXI National Games, PUNJAB
2002 XXXII National Games, HYDERABAD
2007 XXXIII National Games , GUWAHATI
2011 XXXIV National Games, RANCHI
2015 XXXV National Games , KERALA
2020 XXXVI National Games, GOA
2021 XXXVII National Games, CHATTISGARH
2022 XXXVIII National Games, UTTARAKHAND
2023 XXXIX National Games, MEGHALAYA
WINTER NATIONAL GAMES
1996 I National Winter Games, GULMARG
2000 II National Winter Games, MANALI
2002 III National Winter Games, AULI
2004 IV National Winter Games, GULMARG
2008 V National Winter Games, GULMARG
