Diu, Jan 8 (IANS) Till two years back, there was no opportunity for lakhs of talented youngsters around the country to participate in major beach games. The Khelo India Beach Games, currently being held in Daman and Diu, has come out as a great opportunity for these sportspersons to showcase their talent and hope to make it to the international stage from there.

Umabati Patra from Odisha, who won the gold medal in Pencak Silat in the second edition of the Khelo India Beach Games, told IANS on Thursday how the Games are a huge platform for them and was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for providing such an opportunity to sportspersons like her.

"It feels amazing (to participate in these Games), and I am very happy to have won the gold medal, and I would like to give credit to the Sports Department, Odisha, for helping us train well for this competition; they took care of our diet, and all facilities were great," Umabati Patra told IANS.

"We did hard work in the lead-up to the Games, and therefore we won the gold medal. Credit for winning this gold also goes to my coach, Prem Singh Thapa, who is the secretary of our state association, as they made all the arrangements for our training. Khelo India is a huge platform, and I am very grateful to Prime Minister Modi for starting it," she said.

Shreya, who won a bronze medal in the Khelo India Beach Games (KIBG), told IANS, "It feels amazing to win a bronze medal on such a big platform. Khelo India is a huge platform and feels almost like an international event. I am very grateful for this opportunity," she added.

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 Sports Authority of India and national sports federations.

The second edition of Khelo India Beach Games 2026 is witnessing over 1100 participants compete in eight different sports -- volleyball, soccer, sepaktakraw, kabaddi, pencak silat, Open water swimming, mallakhamb, and tug-of-war. The first six will be medal sports, and 32 gold medals are up for grabs.

--IANS

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