The 5th edition of Khelo India University Games (KIUG) 2025 kicked off on November 24, 2025 with a grand opening ceremony at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, and competition began in full swing on November 25 across Rajasthan. This marks the first time Rajasthan is hosting the KIUG. Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma lit the ceremonial lamp. The Viksit Rajasthan smart torch — solar-powered with a built-in camera — carried by Olympians Arundhati Chaudhary (boxer) and Rajesh Chauhan (compound archer) was handed to officials. The games run November 24 – December 5, 2025, featuring 4,448 athletes from 222 universities across 24 sports disciplines spread over 7 host cities: Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, Kota, Ajmer, Bharatpur, and Bikaner. Sports include cycling, swimming, shooting, fencing, weightlifting, archery, athletics, basketball, boxing, hockey, kabaddi, mallakhamb, rugby, yogasana, canoeing & kayaking, and beach volleyball. On November 25 — the first competition day — Olympian swimmer Srihari Nataraj won three gold medals (100m backstroke, 50m freestyle, and 4x200m freestyle relay), while cyclist Meenakshi Rohilla of Guru Nanak Dev University became the first-ever KIUG cycling gold medallist. The event is jointly organised by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), Rajasthan Government, and Rajasthan State Sports Council (RSSC). KIUG 2025 aims to identify grassroots sports talent for national and international representation and is aligned with India's vision of becoming a global sports powerhouse by 2036 (Los Angeles Olympics).