Khelo India Beach Games 2026: Haryana, Delhi Win Gold
- Bihar bagged the silver medals in Beach Sepaktakraw
- Odisha and Gujarat to face off in Beach Soccer women’s final
Diu, January 8: Haryana women and Delhi men put paid to Bihar’s hopes of winning a gold medal in Sepaktakraw as they registered contrasting victories in the finals at the Ghoghla Beach here on Thursday.
The Khelo India Beach Games 2026, organised by the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, is being held under the technical supervision of the national sports federations. The second edition of the Games is witnessing over 1100 participants competing in eight different sports — volleyball, soccer, sepaktakraw, kabaddi, pencak silat, open water swimming, mallakhamb and tug-of-war. The first six are medal sports, with 32 gold medals up for grabs.
In the women’s sepaktakraw final, Haryana came back strongly after losing the opening regu to beat Bihar 2-1 in a match that lasted one hour and 15 minutes. In the men’s final, Delhi inflicted a straight 2-0 defeat on Bihar to clinch the gold medal.
In Beach Soccer, defending champions Odisha registered a dominating 7-0 win over debutants Himachal Pradesh to reach the women’s final. Srijana Tamang, Satyabati Khadia and Khundongbam Ambalika scored two goals each for the winners.
In the second women’s semi-final, Gujarat’s rousing start, which saw them score four goals in the first quarter, proved decisive as they registered a 6-3 win over Arunachal Pradesh. Skipper Giani Ramching Mara scored one goal in each of the three quarters for the losing side but lacked support from her teammates.
In Beach Volleyball, Tamil Nadu will have a chance to win both the men’s and women’s gold medals. The TN women’s team of Deepika and Pavithra came from a set down to beat teammates Swathi and Dharshini 19-21, 21-12, 15-6 in the first semi-final and will now face Pondicherry’s Revathi and Swetha in the gold medal match.
The men’s final will be played between Tamil Nadu’s Bharat and Rajesh and Goa’s Sawan and Gauns.
Today’s Results
Beach Soccer (Semifinals)
Women: Gujarat bt Arunachal Pradesh 6-3; Odisha bt Himachal Pradesh 7-0
Beach Sepaktakraw
Women: Gold – Haryana; Silver – Bihar; Bronze – Uttar Pradesh, Manipur
Men: Gold – Delhi; Silver – Bihar; Bronze – Manipur, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu
Beach Volleyball (Semifinals)
Women: Deepika/Pavithra (TN) bt Swathi/Dharshini (TN) 19-21, 21-12, 15-6; Revathi/Swetha (Pdy) bt Manasa/Mounika (AP) 21-10, 21-18
Men: Sawan/Gauns (Goa) bt Poonthamizhan/Abhithan (TN) 21-18, 16-21, 15-12; Bharat/Rajesh (TN) bt Ramakrishna Dawaskar/Nithin Sawant (Goa) 21-13, 19-21, 15-8