Need to promote indigenous sports on global stage: CM Mohan Charan Majhi

BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday reaffirmed the commitment of Odisha government to ensure that indigenous sports get their rightful place on the world stage.

Addressing a session on “Indigenous Sports - From India to the Global Stage” at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit (WAVES 2025) in Mumbai, the chief minister said traditional games must be promoted and expanded to the global stage.

“Preserving indigenous sports is preserving our soul. It is about giving our children a sense of belonging and pride in their heritage. It is about building a future, rooted in the strength of our past. Tradition is the new vibe. Indigenous games to global glory, is our vision,” Majhi said.

He said the state government will continue to work with the Centre and global federations to ensure that indigenous sports get their rightful place on the world stage. Reflecting on his early playing experiences with traditional sports like kabaddi and kho kho in Keonjhar, a tribal-dominated district, Majhi said, “These were more than games. They were expressions of teamwork, resilience and identity rooted in the soil of our communities. As we say in Odisha - khela re sanskruti achhi, sanskruti re asmita achhi (in our games lies our culture, and in our culture lies our identity).”

He said, kho kho and kabaddi are still a part of school activities in Odisha. Mallakhamb is yet another sport which is extensively practised in the heritage land of Puri. “In Odisha, we are deeply proud of our rich traditions. Our tribal communities have preserved unique forms of games - simple, yet profound; local, yet universal in spirit,” he said. 

The chief minister also highlighted the success of Odisha Juggernauts, the only state government-owned franchise in the Ultimate Kho Kho League, which won the inaugural season in 2022.

He said Odisha is emerging as a major sports hub in India and the state government is specially focused on strengthening grassroots sports.

“We are developing stadiums in every block, creating training centres at the panchayat level and launching special programmes to nurture young talent from rural and tribal areas to create champions in every village,” he said.

Exhorting content creators to focus more on our traditional games, Majhi said, “We have amazing creators who can create magic and attract our youngsters to our traditional sports. The fusion of content, native sports and culture will create a new wave of traditional sports in India.”