8th National Masters Games to Begin in Pimpri on Tuesday

PIMPRI, PUNE (January 26, 2026): The 8th National Masters Games are set to be inaugurated on Tuesday, January 27, at 4:00 PM at the Hedgewar Sports Complex, Masulkar Colony, Pimpri, Pune-18. The opening ceremony will feature the lighting of the torch by Abhay Chhajed, President of the Pune District Amateur Athletics Association, alongside the oldest participant in the competition. This information was shared in a press release by Vinod Kumar, Chief Executive Officer of the Super Masters Games and Sports Federation.

The mascot for this year’s competition is the “Shekru” (Indian Giant Squirrel). For further details, interested parties are encouraged to visit the official websites at https://www.mastersgames.in and https://clouckofficial.github.io/mastersgames/. An appeal to support and participate in the event has been issued by Ramsing Sangha, President of the Super Masters Games and Sports Federation Maharashtra, and Shailesh Phulsunge, the State General Secretary.

The Super Masters Games and Sports Federation is organizing these competitions in Pimpri-Chinchwad city for the first time, with events scheduled to take place from January 28 to January 31. A wide array of sports will be conducted across multiple venues: the Hedgewar Sports Complex will host Football, Kabaddi, Weightlifting, Powerlifting, Arm Wrestling, Chess, Darts, Judo, and Karate; the Sant Dnyaneshwar Sports Complex in Indrayani Nagar, Bhosari, will be the venue for Volleyball, Athletics, Tennis, and Yoga; and the Vedant Sports Academy in Tathawade will host Badminton and Table Tennis. Basketball matches are scheduled at the Basketball Stadium on Spine Road, Sector 9, Pradhikaran, Moshi.

Furthermore, Handball will be played at the Tanaji Landge Sports Complex in Kasarwadi; Hockey at the Major Dhyanchand Polygrass Hockey Ground in Nehrunagar, Pimpri; Tennis Ball Cricket at the Madanlal Dhingra Cricket Stadium in Nigdi Pradhikaran; Archery at the PCMC Archery Academy in Chinchwad; Shooting at the Rifle Shooting Center in Chikhli; and Swimming events at the Annasaheb Magar Stadium in Nehrunagar, Pimpri. Men and women over thirty years of age are eligible to participate in these events. For online and offline registration details, please contact Shailesh Phulsunge at 9764929171. More than 5,000 renowned athletes from across the country are expected to participate.

The Super Masters Games & Sports Federation, a national body, was established in 2017 under the leadership of Founder President Dr. Anmol Ratan Sidhu and Founder General Secretary Vinod Kumar.

The inaugural Masters Games were held in Chandigarh in 2017, with subsequent editions taking place in various cities including Dehradun, Vadodara, Thiruvananthapuram, Varanasi, Goa, and Dharamshala. Notably, during the competition held in Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, in April 2025, Jagir Singh, a 102-year-old senior citizen from Punjab, secured first place in both the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints. In a remarkable display of generational fitness, his son and grandson also participated in the same tournament. The primary objective of the organization is to cultivate a passion for sports among citizens.

The organization of this competition, which is being held for the first time in Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune Maharashtra, includes President Vinod Kumar, Vice President Ramsingh Sangha, Chandrashekhar Kudale, Secretary Shailendra Phulsunghe, Joint Secretary Mukesh Rajaram Pawar, Satyawan Waghmode, Sachin Nade, Pournima Jadhav, Shashidhar R. and executive members George T., Raju Sharma, Shivaji Bandal, Shrikant Deshpande, Pradeep Kasar, Coordinators Suchita Kadethankar and Nitin Joshi.

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