National Games 2022 – After two decades, roller sports check in at the country’s biggest sporting extravaganza

 

Thanks to skateboarding making a debut in the last year held Tokyo Olympics and it will also feature in the next quadrennial games in Paris (2024), roller sports – or widely known as roller skating – got a major boost globally and its impact is visible in Indian sports too.

After two decades, roller sports have been included in the National Games – India’s biggest multidiscipline sports event.

In the 36th edition of the National Games held in Gujarat, roller sports is one of the 36 disciplines.

There will be 18 medals at stake in speed skating, artistic, inline freestyle and skateboarding. The skating events will kick off from September 30 at Sabarmati Riverfront in Ahmedabad.

Last time roller sports made an appearance in the National Games was during the 2002 Games in Andhra Pradesh. The skating events were held in Visakhapatnam.

Before that skating was a demonstration sport during the 1997 National Games held in Bangalore-Mysore.     

“National Games is a big platform to showcase the excellence of our skaters. Indian skaters are doing pretty well at the international arena, including Asian Games, and now its inclusion in the National Games will future popularize the sport and motivate the skaters to do well for the country,” says Naresh Sharma, general secretary of the roller Skating Federation of India (RSFI) – the governing body of the roller sport in the country.

From J&K to Kerala, Gujarat to Arunachal Pradesh

Over 200 skaters, representing 27state and union territories, will be competing for the top honours in the three-day slot (September 30 to October 2) during the National Games.   

“Roller sports is a widely played sport in India and it has its footprint in almost every part of the country. We have a representation from Jammu and Kashmir to Kerala, Gujarat to the North-Eastern state of Arunachal Pradesh in the National Games 2022,” says Sharma. “Lets the Games begin and you will see the top skating action in three days. Two world champions and 12 Asian champion skaters are competing here in Ahmedabad.”