Hembati Nag: Chhattisgarh’s First Player to Represent India at World School Games

Introduction

Kondagaon’s Hembati Nag has created a significant milestone for Chhattisgarh by qualifying for the Under-18 World School Judo Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She secured the gold medal in the 40 kg weight category during the School Games selection trials held in Raipur.

Why in News?

Hembati Nag of Kondagaon won gold in the 40 kg girls’ judo category at the School Games selection trials.
She defeated Asmaan of Uttar Pradesh in the final to qualify for the School India team.
She will attend the national camp before the international competition in Brazil.
She is set to become the first player from Chhattisgarh in an individual sport to represent the state at the World School Games, according to the reports.
Around 170 players from across India participated in the judo trials held in Raipur.

Hembati Nag’s Achievement

Hembati Nag comes from Kondagaon and has been training in judo since childhood. She began practising the sport while staying at a girls’ ashram in Kondagaon, alongside her education.

Her performance in school-level competitions attracted the attention of coaches from the Sports Authority of India (SAI). She was subsequently selected for training at the SAI Centre in Bhopal, where she is currently receiving specialised training.

Key Achievement

Particular	Details
Player	Hembati Nag
State	Chhattisgarh
District	Kondagaon
Sport	Judo
Category	Girls – 40 kg
Achievement	Gold medal in selection trial
International Event	Under-18 World School Judo Games
Venue	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Training Centre	SAI Bhopal

About Hembati Nag

Hembati’s sporting journey has been marked by personal hardship.

Her mother passed away in 2019.
Her father passed away in 2020.
She belongs to a family of three sisters and two brothers.
At around 11 years of age, she began practising judo while staying at a girls’ ashram in Kondagaon.
Her sporting performance later led to her selection for training at the SAI Bhopal Centre.

Her journey highlights the role of residential educational institutions and sports training programmes in providing opportunities to talented children from tribal and rural areas.

Prime Minister’s National Children’s Award

Hembati Nag was also honoured with the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar 2024.
She received the award at Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Delhi, from President Droupadi Murmu for her achievements in judo.

Exam Fact

Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar recognises children for exceptional achievements in areas such as bravery, sports, social service, science and technology, environment, arts and culture.

World School Games Selection

The selection trials in Raipur were conducted to identify players for India’s participation in the World School Games.
The selected athletes are scheduled to attend a national camp from 14 to 18 December. After the camp, the selected players will travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the World School Games.
SAI officials stated that such trials also help identify talented athletes for training at SAI Centres of Excellence and Sports Training Centres (STCs).

Other Judo Winners

Boys

73 kg: Gujarat’s Jala defeated Rajasthan’s Rohit.
81 kg: Haryana’s Arvind defeated CBSE’s Vaibhav.
90 kg: Punjab’s Ram defeated Haryana’s Ilesh.

Girls

57 kg: Maharashtra’s Shravani Satish defeated Punjab’s Gurmehar Kaur.
63 kg: Rajasthan’s Anjali defeated Gujarat’s Grishmaben Bhatt.
70 kg: Maharashtra’s Arya defeated Uttar Pradesh’s Khushi.

Based on medals in the trials, Maharashtra finished first, Manipur second and Haryana third.

Significance for Chhattisgarh

Hembati Nag’s qualification is significant for Chhattisgarh’s sporting landscape, particularly in individual sports.

Her achievement highlights:

Growing opportunities for tribal and rural sporting talent.
The importance of sports training through residential institutions.
The role of SAI centres in developing promising athletes.
Increasing participation of Chhattisgarh athletes in national-level competitions.
The potential of judo as a competitive sport in the state.