Saina Nehwal, Gopichand inaugurate Inter IIT Sports Meet at IIT Hyderabad

The 58th Inter IIT Sports Meet 2025 began at IIT Hyderabad with a grand opening ceremony attended by Pullela Gopichand and Saina Nehwal. Over 2,500 student athletes from 23 IITs will compete across multiple disciplines until December 21, followed by the Inter-IIT Staff Sports Meet.

Sangareddy: The 58th Inter IIT Sports Meet 2025, billed as India’s largest intercollegiate sporting event, commenced at the Indian Institute of Technology, Hyderabad (IITH) with a grand opening ceremony at the athletics ground, bringing together athletes from all 23 IITs across the country.

Hosted by IITH, the sports meet will see over 2,500 student-athletes competing in multiple disciplines from December 14 to 21. This will be followed by the 30th Inter-IIT Staff Sports Meet from December 24 to 29, involving nearly 2,000 staff participants.

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Chief National Coach of the Indian badminton team Pullela Gopichand and Olympic medallist Saina Nehwal inaugurated the sports meet on Sunday evening.

Addressing the gathering, Saina Nehwal said she was delighted to witness the vibrant sporting spirit on the IITH campus.

“Sport is not just about competitions that last a week; it is about the habits we build every day. Working out daily and staying active helps shape discipline, resilience, and focus—qualities that are equally important in academics and research,” she said.

Gopichand said he firmly believed that sports add immense value to a student’s life by building character, discipline, and confidence. He advocated making sports an integral part of campus life. “When sports become a way of life on campus, they enrich education and help shape well-rounded individuals,” he said.

The 58th Inter IIT Sports Meet will feature competition across a wide range of sports, including athletics, cricket, football, hockey, volleyball, badminton, basketball, tennis, table tennis, squash, and other disciplines. Matches in cricket and football began before the opening ceremony, with several fixtures already drawing enthusiastic crowds on campus.

Chairman of the Board of Governors of IITH BVR Mohan Reddy, Director IITH Prof BS Murty, and others were also present.