As Goa gets ready to host the 37th National Games, it will be the biggest sporting event to be held in the tiny state. The multi- sport event which will feature more than 10,000 athletes taking part in 43 disciplines will be the largest-ever National Games to be held in the country.
Goa, the land of fish, feni and football, is already known as a tourist destination for both domestic and international travelers, but, now it is slowly developing as a preferred choice for several international sporting events. The change in Goa’s sporting landscape occurred post the state’s hosting of the Lusofonia Games in 2014. Before that, the state had hosted very few international sporting tournaments.
The Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at Fatorda, Margao, built in a record time of eight months was Goa’s first major sporting project. The stadium hosted the Nehru Cup in 1989, an international football tournament which saw the participation of six nations “ Hungary, Soviet Union, North Korea, Iraq, Poland and hosts India during that year. In the same year, the stadium also hosted Goa’s first international cricket match involving Australia and Sri Lanka.
Since then, several tournaments have been held there, which includes the AFC U-16 Championship and BRICS U-17 Football Cup in 2016, a tournament played among teams of five BRICS countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, FIFA U-17 World Cup, for men in 2017 and women in 2022.
Apart from that, the stadium has also hosted several international cricket matches.
The stadium has also been a host to India’s premier football tournament, Indian Super League finals for four successive years and five times overall, a record in ISL history. Goa was the preferred choice for the ISL organizers due to good quality stadium, training venues, starred hotels and support from the Goa government. It is worth to be appreciated, that during Covid times where-in sporting events had come to a standstill, for two successive seasons- 2020-21 and 2021-22 - Goa successfully managed to host the entire tournament behind closed doors.
Also, during Covid-19, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) chose Goa as the venue to host the high-profile AFC Champions League with visiting teams from Qatar, Iran and UAE. The games were being played behind closed doors and Goa once again proved to be a perfect host.
Although football is the state sport, it is not just only about football and cricket that Goa has hosted international sporting events. Earlier, this year in February-March, Goa hosted WTT Star Contender, an international table-tennis tournament, held for the first time in India which attracted some of the world’s best players.
Earlier this month, Goa also hosted Ironman 70.3, a triathlon event that involves three sports disciplines “ swimming (1.9 km), cycling (90 km) and running (21.1 km). The endurance event attracted nearly 1,200 triathletes from 30 countries. It was the third edition of Ironman 70.3 in India, and Goa has been a host to all three.
A few days ago, Goa also hosted Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Goa Challenge at Varca beach. The beach volleyball tournament saw world champions and Olympic medalists participate for big prize money and tour points.
With infrastructure for the Lusofonia Games 2014 and the National Games 2023 and strong support from the Goa government, Goa is slowly turning out to be sought-after destination for big-ticket international sporting events.
