Esports to make its debut at KIYG 2025 as demonstration sport

New Delhi: Esports will make its debut as a demonstration sport at the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG) to be held in Bihar from May 4 to 15. The KIYG 2025, the seventh edition of the event, will be held in five cities of Bihar --- Patna, Rajgir, Gaya, Bhagalpur and Begusarai-- and New Delhi (for the events of shooting, gymnastics and track events of cycling).

"The Khelo India Youth Games 2025 will be held in Bihar where Esports will make its debut as a demo sport," Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a select interaction with media.

"The event will feature 28 sports, 27 competitive and one demo sport in Esports," he added.


The 27 competitive sports that will be a part of the KIYG 2025 are athletics, archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, cycling, fencing, football, gatka, gymnastics, hockey, judo, kabaddi, kalarippayattu, kho-Kho, mallakhamb, shooting, swimming, sepak takraw, table tennis, tennis, thang-ta, volleyball, weightlifting, wresting, yogasana and rugby) and Esports as demo sport.

In fact, Esports debuted as a demonstration sport in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang, and became a medal sport in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games, with seven titles competing for medals.