Pariksha SaathiAhmedabad Hosts BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Demonstration Games Under India's 2026 Chairship
As part of India's BRICS Chairship in 2026, Ahmedabad hosted the BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Demonstration Games on 12 October at the Veer Savarkar Sports Complex in Naranpura. The one-day event was organised by the Union Sports Ministry with the Gujarat government and was deliberately non-competitive: the aim was to display, document and exchange traditional sporting practices rather than award medals. Ten countries took part, each presenting its own traditions — India showed Mallakhamb, Yogasana and Kalaripayattu; Brazil brought Capoeira and an indigenous log race; China presented Wushu and the lion dance; Russia showed Sambo and Gorodki; Iran showed Zoorkhaneh; South Africa, Kgati; and Belarus, Bolivia, Kazakhstan and the UAE also took part. Opening the Games, Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya put forward three ideas for BRICS cooperation: a voluntary BRICS repository documenting traditional and indigenous sports, exchanges among practitioners, coaches and researchers, and periodic demonstrations of such sports at future BRICS sporting events. He also said India has committed nearly US$ 3.76 billion to its Khelo India initiative. Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi attended the opening.
Drafted with AI assistance from the official PIB release linked above and checked against it by a second AI pass. Not line-edited by a human.
Learning context
BRICS grew out of BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), whose leaders held their first summit in 2009 in Yekaterinburg, Russia; South Africa joined in 2010, turning BRIC into BRICS. India holds the rotating BRICS Chairship in 2026, and the theme it has chosen spells out the group's name: 'Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability'. India earlier chaired BRICS in 2012, 2016 and 2021.
Reference: official website of BRICS India 2026
Check yourself: in which city was the first BRIC leaders' summit held, and which country joined the group after it?
The first summit was held in Yekaterinburg, Russia, in 2009. South Africa joined in 2010, which is when BRIC became BRICS.
Revision task: match each participating country in this news item with the traditional sport it demonstrated, and note which of them are original BRICS members.
Test yourself
The BRICS Traditional and Indigenous Demonstration Games held in Ahmedabad on 12 October 2026 were designed as what kind of event?
Show the answer
Answer: A non-competitive event to display and exchange traditional sports
The event was deliberately non-competitive: ten countries displayed, documented and exchanged traditional sporting practices rather than winning medals, as part of India's 2026 BRICS Chairship.
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