The 38th National Games is to be organized in Uttarakhand from 28th January. Many sports will be organized in these National Games but one sport or rather Kerala’s martial art form Kalaripayattu is surrounded in controversies.
In fact, the Indian Kalaripayattu Federation has accused the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) of “banishing” the martial art from the performance section of the event. In the 37th edition of the National Games held in Goa in 2023, Kalaripayattu was part of the competition section. The federation said this year the art has been included in the list of events to be performed, dashing the medal hopes of about 200 Kalaripayattu athletes from 18 states who were planning to participate in the competition.
IOA President PT Usha said in Kerala that the association will decide on the fate of Kalaripayattu within a week based on the Delhi High Court order. Delhi HC had on January 15 ordered that, appropriate decision will be taken to reinstate Kalaripayattu as a competitive sport in the 38th National Games. The court order was based on a writ petition filed by Kalaripayattu student Harshita Yadav.
“In the 35th National Games held in Kerala, Kalari was a demonstration event. It was the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who emphasized on promoting indigenous art forms, that led to the inclusion of Kalaripayattu in the competition section at the 37th Games. It is unfortunate that the IOA has ended this approach and marginalized Kalaripayattu.”
PB Sumesh, vice-president of the Indian Kalaripayattu Federation, told The Indian Express. The federation represents Kalaripayattu students in 18 states. Sumesh said, the martial art form has been a competitive event thrice in the Under-17 Khelo India Games. The decision that Kalaripayattu will not be part of the competition section was revealed on the same day when the IOA made public the sports list for the National Games in December 2024.
PT Usha had then said, “The inclusion of demonstration sports like Kalaripayattu, Yogasana, Mallakhambha and rafting reflects our commitment to honoring India’s rich heritage while encouraging new opportunities for athletes.” However, of these four events, Yogasana and Mallakhambha were later included in the competitive category. According to the federation, Kalaripayattu has been “demoted” to the performance section as the IOA is “not interested” in awarding medals to its practitioners.
In the 2023 National Games, Kalaripayattu athletes from Kerala had won 22 medals, including 19 gold medals. Since Kalaripayattu is included in the performance section, athletes who want to participate in the event may not even get travel and kit assistance from their respective state governments. “The young Kalari athletes are dependent on financial support from the state as the tour will cost them at least Rs 30,000.”