The upcoming northern zonal round of the Khelo India women’s wushu league is set to draw significant attention, featuring prominent international athletes Ayeera Chisti and Komal Nagar. This competition will take place at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala from July 9 to 13, showcasing the talents of 350 athletes across sub-junior, junior, and senior categories. Organized by SAI Patiala, the event will encompass both Sanda (fighting) and Taolu (forms), welcoming participants from Haryana, Punjab, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and Ladakh.

Department of Sports, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports funds the Rs 7.2 lakh prize money competition conducted by the Wushu Federation of India. The top eight wushu athletes from the sub-junior, junior and senior events will get cash incentives.

Following last month's successful South Zonal event in Karnataka, the North Zonal meet marks the next phase in the league's calendar. After the four zonal meets, the national ranking championship will be held.

The women’s wushu league will provide an opportunity to several players wanting to make it big like international medallists Ayeera (18 years) and Komal (19 years), who train at the NSNIS Patiala Centre.

“I am very excited to play in my home ground here in my third Khelo India women’s wushu league, having won gold in the last two championships,” said Ayeera, who debuted in this competition in 2022.

“The Khelo India women’s league is very important for a lot of girls especially looking at the future and I’m thankful to the government for this. As for me, I want to clinch gold medal at the Asian Games in the 52kg category and become the first woman to achieve this feat for India in this weight division. Before that, I am aiming for the gold at the senior Asian championships in China this September,” Ayeera added.

Jammu and Kashmir's Ayeera Chisti looking to clinching her third consecutive gold medal at the Khelo India Women's Wushu League.

Jammu and Kashmir’s Ayeera, who will take part in the senior 52kg Sanda category, won a bronze at the junior wushu world championship in Indonesia in 2022. She also landed a gold at the international wushu championship in Georgia in 2022 as well as a gold at the Russian Moscow Stars Wushu International Championship in 2024.

Chandigarh’s Komal, gold medallist at the Russian Moscow Stars Wushu International Championship 2023 in Sanda, said, “Getting an opportunity to play one more tournament in the calendar year besides the nationals, bolsters our confidence.”

“The Khelo India Women’s League gives us a good playfield for our performance assessment, understand flaws in our game and areas to work on,” said  Komal, who started learning self-defence techniques when she was 14.

Chandigarh's Komal with her gold medal at the Russian Moscow Stars Wushu International Championship 2023

About Sports for Women:

Under the Sports for Women Vertical, Khelo India Women's Leagues are structured into two main formats: Major League and City League. These leagues serve as platforms for promoting women's sports across various disciplines. Additionally, leagues are organized within specific age categories or weight categories, tailored to the requirements of each sport.

This approach, supported by the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, not only encourages widespread participation among women athletes but also facilitates talent identification and development across different skill levels and age groups nationwide. Through these structured formats, the Khelo India initiative aims to foster a vibrant sports culture and support the growth of female athletes in India.

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Pragya Paliwal Gaur/ Himanshu Pathak