Raipur (Chattisgarh) [India], March 25 (ANI): Hockey India President Dilip Kumar Tirkey has advocated for greater inclusion of tribal youth in hockey, backing the idea of forming a national tribal team to nurture talent and expand the sport's reach at the grassroots level.

Speaking to ANI, Tirkey highlighted the importance of providing exposure to tribal children, noting that such initiatives could play a key role in shaping future players.

'It will be a good initiative to give exposure to tribal children. It will be a good thing if they form a National tribal team so that the children get even more interested and passionate... Many more players will come up in the future,' he said.

Chhattisgarh is all set to host the first edition of the Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) from Wednesday. India's sports stars like hockey Olympians Dilip Tirkey, Salima Tete and top sprinter Animesh Kujur hailed the Games as a great platform to build a career in sports for the tribal communities.

Thirty states and Union Territories will be represented in the Khelo India Tribal Games that will feature nine sports in all, according to a release.

Medals will be awarded in archery, athletics, football, hockey, swimming, weightlifting and wrestling. Traditional sports like mallakhamb and kabaddi will be the demonstration sports. Close to 3800 participants will take part in the Games that will end on April 3.

The Games will be played in three cities - Raipur, Jagdalpur and Sarguja. Dilip Tirkey, Hockey India president and former Olympian, said the championship is a proud first for the country and offers a strong platform for youth, especially tribal players, to showcase their talent and progress in sports. He added that it aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of making India a sporting nation by encouraging all youngsters to take up sports.

'For me and for all of us, it is a matter of great pride that this championship is being started in the country for the first time. It is a very good opportunity for all the youth and tribal players to showcase their talent and move forward in sports, and to play for the country. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision is to make India a sporting nation. He wants all youth to be connected with sports and to play one game or another,' said Hockey India president and former Olympian Dilip Tirkey to SAI Media.

Host state Chhattisgarh, apart from Odisha, Jharkhand and Assam, will have the biggest representation in the Games with more than 100 athletes each. The distribution of male/female athletes will be almost 50:50.

This is in keeping with the Olympic charter of maintaining gender neutrality. A whopping 106 gold medals will be at stake.

The maximum gold medals will be in athletics - 34. Swimming (24), wrestling (18), weightlifting (16) and archery (10) will have gold medals at stake in double digits. Hockey and football will be the two team games, and both will be played in Raipur. Athletics will be held in Jagdalpur, while Sarguja will host wrestling. (ANI)