Union Home Minister Amit Shah will launch the anthem and the mascot of the 36th National Games at Ahmedabad this evening. The curtain raiser event of the National Games will be held at the EKA Arena Trans Stadia. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur will also be present during the event. A custom-curated website and mobile application, marking the beginning of the biggest sporting extravaganza in the country, will also be unveiled. The theme of the games is 'Celebrating Unity Through Sports'. The 36th edition of the games is being held after a gap of seven years and will take place from the 29th of this month till the 12th of October. The National Games were last held in Kerala in 2015.

An estimated seven thousand athletes from states and Union Territories are expected to take part across 36 disciplines including most traditional Olympic sports. Indigenous sports like mallakhamb and yogasana will also feature in the Games for the first time.