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2008 Commonwealth Youth Games

3rd Commonwealth Youth Games
2008 Commonwealth Youth Games (logo).png
Host city Pune, Maharashtra, India
Nations participating 71
Athletes participating 1,300
Events 9 disciplines
Opening ceremony 12 October
Closing ceremony 18 October
Main venue Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex
Website Official website

The 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games were held in Pune, India, a city in the state of Maharashtra. They were the third Commonwealth Youth Games, which are held every four years; they were the first Commonwealth Youth Games to be held in Asia.

The III Commonwealth Youth Games were conducted from 12 to 18 October 2008. Over 1,300 athletes and 350 officials from 71 countries participated in these games.

The III Commonwealth Youth Games is unique for its green theme, which permeates all aspects of the Games. A special drive is being conducted by the game organisers to create a "save the tigers" campaign to promote awareness of the critical state of the Indian tiger.

There were nine sports on the programme for the 2008 CYG.

Each sport has a unique pictogram to represent it. The pictograms are designed to be, like the 2008 CYG logo, a balance between the cultural heritage of India and the modern India. The pictograms have been derived from the tribal art form of Warli.

The spectacular Opening Ceremony included several performances showcasing Indian culture and tradition. There was also a unique show set up by the Indian Air Force. Abhinav Bindra, India's gold medal winner at the Beijing Olympics, was the final Youth Baton Runner, who poured the water collected from different countries into a kalash. The "Fountain of Youth" was later formed from this water. Veteran actress Hema Malini performed a beautiful prayer dance. Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan also performed during the event. Singers Sunidhi Chauhan and Shankar Mahadevan sang the theme song. There was also a performance by the Indian actress Urmila Matondkar. The President of India, Pratibha Patil, declared the Games open. The entire event was choreographed by Shiamak Davar. Various schools from Pune participated in the event.


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