Water sports to debut at Khelo India Youth Games

Sports including canoeing, kayaking, and rowing will be held at the MP Water Sports Academy in the state capital, with Bhopal and Maheshwar (Khargone) serving as host cities. On the other side, Maheshwar's Khargone will host the water slalom competition.

Yashodhara Raje Scindia, the Madhya Pradesh minister for sports and youth welfare, commented on the inclusion of aquatic sports in the Khelo India Youth Games and said, "We all know that Bhopal is known as the city of lakes. Madhya Pradesh is emerging as the sports hub of India under the leadership of Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan ji. We have excellent infrastructure. We have two lakes in Bhopal. These are great spots for Canoeing and Kayaking. We have the best training facilities, international coaches, and above all, we are hosting Khelo India, so it is a matter of pride for us."

She further added, "We have worked for years towards the development of water sports in the state and that's why we and our athletes are looking forward to the water sports events and are confident of a good show. Our athletes from the MP Water sports academy have earned international laurels and we are the leading junior team in the country in kayaking, canoeing and rowing."