RAIPUR (Chhattisgarh, India): Karnataka dominated swimming and left a mark in athletics to emerge as the best team and West Bengal clinched the last gold medal at stake as the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games (KITG) 2026 concluded on Friday.
West Bengal beat hosts Chhattisgarh 1-0 in the men’s football final on Friday morning to clinch the gold.
Karnataka remained on top of the medals table as it increased its tally to 38, which includes 23 gold, 8 silver and 7 bronze, followed by Odisha with 54 medals – 20 gold, 13 silver and 21 bronze. Jharkhand finished at third place with 14 gold, 7 silver and 11 bronze for a tally of 32. Hosts Chhattisgarh finished at ninth place with 3 gold, 10 silver and 6 bronze, totaling 19 medals.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands finished at the bottom of the table with a sole bronze that they won in weightlifting.
Karnataka dominated the games right from the word go as their swimmers set the pool ablaze, winning 15 gold, 5 silver and 3 bronze medals. Having grabbed the top spot in the medals table, they did not let go, adding to their tally with an impressive haul of 7 medals in athletics that included 5 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze. They took home a similar number in wrestling, but it included 3 gold, 1 silver and 3 bronze.
Odisha remained close on their heels and finished second in the table, but they went home with the satisfaction of having finished with more medals overall – higher at 54 than Karnataka’s 38. Most of Odisha’s medals came from athletics and swimming. They won 8 gold, 7 silver and 9 bronze in athletics for a tally of 24, and 16 medals in swimming – 7 gold, 1 silver and 8 bronze. However, even in athletics, Odisha had to remain contended with the second spot, after Jharkhand.
A superlative performance in athletics helped Jharkhand finish third overall in the games. Jharkhand emerged the best team in athletics, clinching 17 medals overall – 9 gold, 3 silver and 5 bronze.
Hosts Chhattisgarh finished ninth overall thanks to a gold medal each in weightlifting, athletics and football.
Football
In men’s football, West Bengal beat hosts Chhattisgarh 1-0 in the final. West Bengal took the lead through a penalty kick during injury time just before the break when Chaku Mandi (45) found the net. They then held on to the slender lead till the final whistle. Chhattisgarh’s dream of getting a double delight in football by clinching the gold in the men’s event, having already won the gold in the women’s event, lay shattered as the final whistle blew.
As losing semi-finalists, Arunachal Pradesh and Goa got a bronze each.
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