Patna : Bihar is set to host the National Youth Athletics Championship for the first time, with the prestigious event taking place at Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna from March 10 to 12. More than 500 male and female athletes from 26 states and union territories will compete in the championship, which will serve as a selection event for the 6th Asian Under-18 Athletics Championship in Saudi Arabia this April.
Ravindra Shankar, Director General and Chief Executive Officer of the Bihar State Sports Authority, said the event marked a significant milestone for Bihar’s sporting landscape. “This is a moment of pride for us. It reflects the state’s growing capacity to organise national and international-level competitions,” he said.
Over 500 athletes to compete
A total of 373 athletes, including 150 women, will participate in the championship, supported by over 150 coaches, technical staff, and ground personnel. The competition will feature 12 events, including track races (100m, 200m, 400m, 1000m, and 110m hurdles), field events (high jump, long jump, shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw), the 5km race walk, and the heptathlon.
The heptathlon will consist of the 110m hurdles, 200m and 1000m races, long jump, high jump, shot put, and javelin throw. Each state can enter a maximum of two athletes per event, with each participant allowed to compete in up to two individual events.
Athletes from Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal are expected to take part.
