Speaking at the event on Sunday evening, the minister said, “Ten years ago, when PM Modi was the chief minister here, he started the Khel Mahakumbh. At that time, Gujarat was nowhere in sports on the global map.”

“We have the Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest stadium in the world, and very soon we will also have the world’s biggest sports city too. Ahmedabad would soon be developed into the world’s biggest sports city,” Shah said while addressing over 10,000 people present at the venue.

Shah was accompanied by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur at the event. India’s grandest sporting extravaganza will take place in six cities of Gujarat, from September 29 to October 12, according to an official statement issued by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.

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“There was a time when Gujarati people were mostly seen as businessmen only. However, 11 years ago, PM Modi started Khel Mahakumbh and that event has become so big that as many as 55 lakh youngsters took part in this edition. We even offered a whopping ₹29 crore as prize money to all the winners,” Gujarat CM Bhupendra Patel said.

Meanwhile, Sports Minister Anurag Thakur expressed his happiness over 36th National Games taking place in Gujarat and said that this will be one of the biggest and grandest events ever.

“Normally, it takes years to organize an event at such a large scale but Gujarat did this in less than three months. It is all thanks to the efforts of the CM, with IOA supporting our initiative in a big way. Over 12,000 athletes, officials and support stage will enjoy not only the sporting extravaganza but also the garba here,” Thakur added.

During the event, the winners of the Khel Mahakumbh, including the top three schools, districts and municipal corporations of the state, were felicitated before the launch of the mascot.

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