The Ghoghla Beach, awash with the tides of the Arabian Sea, here will transform itself into a sporting paradise with more than 2,100 participants taking part in the second edition of the Khelo India Beach Games.

The Beach Games, organised by the union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, will be held between January 5-10 under the technical supervision of the Sports Authority of India and national sports federations.

More than 1,100 athletes will compete in eight different sports. The six medal sports will be- Beach Soccer, Beach Volleyball, Beach Sepak Takraw, Beach Kabaddi, Pencak Silat and Open water swimming. Mallakhamb and Tug of war will be non-medal events.

Manipur, Maharashtra and Nagaland finished one, two and three in the medal standings in the first edition of the Games. The top three states finished with identical number of five golds each but were separated by the number of silvers won.

"The first Khelo India Beach Games saw a lot of excitement among participants. We are opening up new platforms for athletes to express themselves and enjoy the sport they like to play. This is in keeping with PM Modi's vision to create a culture of sports so that our youth can become healthy citizens. In 2026 we will see more new Khelo India events. We like to stitch our nation together through sports and spread joy through sporting competition," said the union minister of youth affairs and sports, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya.

Dr Mandaviya also added the Khelo India events are in keeping with the Khelo Bharat Niti. "It will be our endeavour to make sports a mass movement and make it part of the social fabric for upliftment. Events like the Beach Games also serve to tell the world about its natural beauty through sports," he said.

The Blue Flag Ghoghla Beach will host the KIBG 2026 opening ceremony on Monday evening. Praful Patel, the administrator of the union Territories of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu and Lakshadweep. The Lieutenant Governor of the union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha, will also be present.

Teams started arriving in sunny Diu since Saturday. Twenty-nine states and union Territories are taking part this time. On Day 1 on Monday, Khelo India Beach Games 2026 will start with beach kabaddi matches and beach soccer matches. Last year, Haryana dominated kabaddi while in soccer, Kerala men and Odisha women won gold medals.

The Khelo India Beach Games are being held under the vertical of sports competition and talent development of Khelo India Scheme. The first edition of KIBG took place from May 19 to May 24, 2025 in Diu, UT of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.

The second edition is being held from January 5-10. This initiative by the union sports ministry aims to promote beach sports and to enhance the reach and popularity of disciplines that can be played on sand and water bodies.