Srinagar: The iconic Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir’s capital Srinagar is set to host the inaugural Khelo India Water Sports Festival (KIWSF) 2025, with over 400 athletes from 36 states and Union Territories competing for 24 gold medals in rowing, canoeing, and kayaking.
The three-day event, beginning today, marks the second Khelo India event in Jammu and Kashmir after the successful Khelo India Winter Games in Gulmarg.
According to the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, the KIWSF is the first consolidated open-age category championship in India where all 14 Olympic kayaking and canoeing events and 10 Olympic rowing events will be contested. In addition, three demonstration events, water skiing, shikhara boat sprint, and a dragon boat race will feature during the festival.
“The course has been prepared keeping all international specifications in mind, and we are all set to go. It will be good to see how the states compete and perform,” said Bilquis Mir, competition manager, former World Cup canoeist, and Olympic judge.
Making every stroke count. Khelo India water sports 2025.
#KheloIndiaWaterSports #KheloIndia #SportsAuthorityOfIndia #JKSportsCouncil pic.twitter.com/5hwFudoGzW
— J&K Sports Council (@JKSportsCouncil) August 20, 2025
States with large contingents include Madhya Pradesh (44 athletes), Haryana (37), Odisha (34), and Kerala (33). The festival is part of the broader Khelo Bharat Niti, aimed at promoting sports and boosting tourism, following earlier initiatives like the Khelo India Beach Games in Diu in May.
The event will feature several prominent athletes, including Arjun Lal Jat, a 28-year-old Army rower representing Delhi, who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and won a silver medal in the lightweight double sculls at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Athletes qualified for the festival based on their performance in previous national championships. The top 15 in singles and doubles, and the top eight in fours for kayaking and canoeing, were selected from a November competition in Tehri, Uttarakhand. Rowers were chosen from the national championships held in Bhopal in March.
The competition will feature near-equal gender representation, with 202 of the 409 athletes being female. Three gold medals in kayaking and canoeing are scheduled for the first day, while all 10 rowing finals will be held on the final day, August 23.
