The fifth Khelo India University Games (KIUG) will be held across seven cities of Rajasthan from November 24 to December 5, 2025. The 12-day event will feature 23 medal sports and one demonstration sport — kho-kho — with over 5,000 athletes participating.
The host cities for KIUG 2025 are Jaipur, Ajmer, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Bikaner, Kota, and Bharatpur.
“The Khelo India University Games are a crucial link in India’s sporting pathway. Across the world, universities play a vital role in shaping champions, and KIUG provides our young athletes a platform to showcase their ability at a national level. The Rajasthan edition will highlight India’s expanding sporting landscape and will be a stepping stone to glory for many who aspire to represent the nation globally.”
— Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports
Dr. Mandaviya added that under the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the Khelo India initiative has created a robust ecosystem that promotes participation, talent development, and excellence. “The University Games in Rajasthan will inspire thousands of students to pursue sports alongside academics and strengthen the spirit of Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat through competition and camaraderie,” he said.
New Additions to KIUG 2025
For the first time, beach volleyball, canoeing and kayaking, and cycling will be introduced as medal sports, while kho-kho will feature as a demonstration event.
Medal Sports Line-up
- Archery
- Athletics
- Badminton
- Basketball
- Boxing
- Fencing
- Football
- Hockey
- Judo
- Kabaddi
- Mallakhamb
- Rugby
- Shooting
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Weightlifting
- Wrestling
- Yogasana
- Cycling
- Beach Volleyball
- Canoeing & Kayaking
Past Champions
In the previous edition held in North-east India, Chandigarh University emerged as champions, followed by Lovely Professional University and Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar in second and third place respectively.
About Khelo India
The Khelo India Scheme is the flagship Central Sector Scheme of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports. It serves as a platform to identify and nurture sporting talent across India, fostering pathways for young athletes to achieve excellence. So far, the initiative has conducted 20 editions, including:
- 7 editions of Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG)
- 4 editions of Khelo India University Games
- 5 editions of Khelo India Winter Games
- 2 editions of Khelo India Para Games
- 1 edition each of Khelo India Beach Games and Khelo India Water Sports Festival