India's hockey hub Odisha will host the maiden Khelo India University Games from February 22 to March 1, the state's Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera said on Monday.
The competition, which will feature teams from 100 universities, will be held in Bhubaneswar, which has hosted a number of big-ticket hockey events, including the Olympic qualifiers last year.
After the third edition of the Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati earlier this month, Behera said officials are looking to build Odisha's brand value through the Khelo India University Games.
Behera said there will be 4000 participants in the competition across 17 disciplines.
"The number of participants for the Khelo India University Games is very high. There will be approximately 4000 participants across 17 disciplines. Most of the athletes will be in the age group of 17-25," Behera said.
"Many universities are taking part in the competition. Some of the athletes participating in the Khelo India University Games will take part in the 2020 Olympics as well," he added.
He said the state has built nine high-performance centres and are looking to build three more in the next six months.