Meghalaya to host next edition of National Games in 2027: IOA's PT Usha

Meghalaya will host the 39th edition of the National Games in February/March 2027, Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha has informed state chief minister Conrad Sangma.

As host state of the next edition, Meghalaya will be handed the IOA flag during the closing ceremony of the ongoing 38th Games in Uttarakhand. The ceremony will he held in Haldwani on Friday.

"I am pleased to inform you that the IOA has decided to allocate the hosting rights of the 39th National Games to the state of Meghalaya, scheduled to be held in February/March 2027," Usha wrote in the letter to Sangma on Monday.

"As Meghalaya embarks on the exciting journey, I would like to invite you to the closing ceremony of the 38th National Games in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, where the IOA flag will be ceremoniously handed over to Meghalaya," she added.

Sangma reacted to the decision, saying that it was a "huge honour" that his state has been chosen as the host of the Games in 2027.

"Overjoyed to share that Meghalaya has been officially announced as host for the 39th National Games!," he wrote on 'X'.

"Excited to join the Closing Ceremony of the 38th National Games at Uttarakhand to accept the IOA flag as the host for the next season of the National Games," he added.

The National Games in Uttarakhand, which began on January 28, are being competed among around 10,000 athletes and officials from 38 teams.

The Games are bring held in seven cities of Uttarakhand with Dehradun being the main venue. The other venues are Haridwar, Nainital, Haldwani, Rudrapur, Shivpuri and New Tehri.

The last edition in Goa in 2023 saw competitions being held in five cities.

In terms of sheer number of athletes, the event is among the biggest in the world, though its relevance in the country's international success has been debatable.

The edition in Uttarakhand was the third National Games being staged in the span of three years, marking the revival of the multi-sport event after a long hiatus.

With Meghalaya set to host the showpiece in 2027, four National Games will be staged in a span of five years.

Before the 2022 edition in Goa, which was postponed several times due to delay in infrastructure preparedness, Kerala hosted the National Games in 2015.