The 2015

National Games of India The National Games of India consist of various disciplines in which athletes from the different states of India participate against each other. The country's first few Olympic Games, now renamed as National Games, were held in North India (De ...

, also known as the ''35th National Games of India'' and informally as Kerala 2015, was held from 31 January 2015 to 14 February 2015 across seven districts of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

, India. It was the second time that Kerala hosted the national games, the first being when it hosted the 27th National Games in 1987. The opening ceremony took place at Greenfield Stadium, on 31 January 2015 at 6.00 PM. Union Minister of Urban Development, Shri

Venkaiah Naidu Muppavarapu Venkaiah Naidu (born 1 July 1949) is an Indian politician who served as the 13th vice president of India from 2017 to 2022. He is the first Indian vice president born in independent India. He has also served as the minister of Hous ...

inaugurated the opening ceremony. Former cricketer

Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (; ; born 24 April 1973) is an Indian former international cricketer who captained the Indian national team. He is regarded as one of the greatest batsmen in the history of cricket. He is the all time highest run-sco ...

was selected as the goodwill ambassador for the games.

Mascot

Ammu, the

Great Hornbill The great hornbill (''Buceros bicornis''), also known as the concave-casqued hornbill, great Indian hornbill or great pied hornbill, is one of the larger members of the hornbill family. It occurs in the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It ...

(the state bird of Kerala) was chosen as the mascot, reflecting a concern for conservation as this is a species facing extinction. It is also an expression of the need to preserve Kerala's rain forests and regenerate the lost habitat of this precious bird. The choice of a feminine name for the mascot is a tribute to the women of Kerala.

Games Village

The Games Village is constructed based on the novel concept of prefabricated housing technology. The prefabricated housing would go well with the concept of ''Green Games'' as it is environmentally friendly, lightweight, energy efficient and faster to construct. One major advantage of this technology is that the individual housing units can be dismantled and relocated to other locations after the Games with additional cost in the form of steel Flashing / trims, civil foundation, internal electrification and plumbing, hardware, floor finish, wall cladding etc. A total of 365 pre-fab houses occupying 5 athletes per room while team officials and coaches will be allocated single or double rooms. Social infrastructures such as kitchen, food courts, reception desks, medical centre, recreational zone, health club, open-air theatre, conference halls etc. are included in the Games Village. Apart from these, it also has house-keeping, solid waste management, security, clean water distribution facilities and even landscaping. The Games Village is a ‘miniature India' as this venue is supposed to be the most vocal and visual representation of India's national integration at the Games.

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony was held at

Greenfield Stadium Greenfield Stadium could refer to: * Greenfield Stadium (Trelawny), a multi-purpose stadium in Jamaica. * Greenfield Stadium, Bradford, a former rugby league, greyhound racing and speedway stadium in Bradford, England. * Greenfields Sports Ground, ...

Thiruvananthapuram Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. Union Minister for Urban Development,

declared the Games open in the presence of Kerala Chief Minister,

Oommen Chandy Oommen Chandy, , (born 31 October 1943) is an Indian politician and statesman who served as the Chief Minister of Kerala for two terms, from 2004 to 2006 and again from 2011 to 2016. He was also Leader of the Opposition in the Kerala Legislati ...

, State Sports Minister, Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Union Minister of State for Sports,

Sarbananda Sonowal Sarbananda Sonowal ( Assamese: সৰ্বানন্দ সোণোৱাল / IPA: xɔɹbanɔndɔ xʊnʊwal; born 31 October 1962) is an Indian politician from Assam who is the current Cabinet Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways and ...

, IOA president N. Ramachandran and the local M.P.,

Shashi Tharoor Shashi Tharoor (; ; born 9 March 1956 in London, England ) is an Indian former international civil servant, diplomat, bureaucrat and politician, writer and public intellectual who has been serving as Member of Parliament for Thiruvananthapuram, ...

. The games torch, a cauldron shaped like a traditional Kerala lamp, was lit by athletes P. T. Usha and

Anju Bobby George Anju Bobby George (born 19 April 1977) is a retired Indian athlete. Anju Bobby George made history when she won the bronze medal in long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. With this achievement, she became the first In ...

, and was passed to them by

. The oath was taken on the behalf of the participants by the Kerala captain, Preeja Sreedharan.

Sports events

There are 33 sports disciplines in 2015 Kerala Games. Yachting is a newly included event. Aquatics (50 disciplines) and athletics (44 disciplines) were the biggest and most popular events in Kerala Games 2015; shooting (38 disciplines) became another big event.

Venues

Top 10 medal winners

Medals tally

The top ten ranked teams at the Games are listed below. The host state, Kerala, is highlighted.

Greening the National Games

The 2015 National Games was associated with green protocols. This was initiated by Suchitwa Mission, aiming for "zero-waste" venues. Waste Management programmes were implemented at all 29 venues. To make the event "disposable-free", a ban on the use of disposable water bottles was enforced. The event witnessed the usage of reusable tableware and stainless steel tumblers. Athletes were provided with refillable steel flasks. It is estimated that these green practices prevented the generation of about 120 metric tonnes of disposable waste. Suchitwa Mission requested the help of volunteers to achieve the green objectives, and the service of these 700 volunteers to achieve the green objectives were applauded by the Chief Minister.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:2016 National Games Of India National Games of India

History of Kerala (1947–present)