NEW DELHI: DD Sports, the country’s only free-to-air (FTA) sports channel, will be telecasting the Indigenous Games, which commenced today (10 December) in Imphal.

Slated to continue till 12 December, the Games bring together the indigenous people from different states of the country to showcase unique sports.

The events will also be packaged and showcased on other channels of Doordarshan.

The first edition of the Games was held in Mizoram. Manipur has a rich history and legacy in the indigenous games and the idea is to bring this forth to the national audience.

The second edition of the Indigenous Games Festival commenced with the opening ceremony in the presence of Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh. The 60-minute opening ceremony showcased the ethnic culture of the native states to the larger television audience.

With an estimated population of 84.3 million, Indigenous people comprise 8.2 per cent of the India’s population.

Like the National Games, Indigenous games are no ordinary sporting competition as they provide an opportunity to show to the country some of the oldest forms of human civilization. India has conducted national games starting from 1924 but this is the first time tribes from all over the country will come together  to compete.