Context

• India's first multi-sports Beach Games “The Beach Games 2024” was held at the Blue Flag certified Ghoghla Beach in Diu.

Key Points

• In these games, landlocked Madhya Pradesh emerged as the champion.
• Madhya Pradesh topped the medal tally with a total of 18 medals including 7 gold.
• Maharashtra won 14 medals, including 3 gold, while Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and hosts Dadra, Nagar Haveli, Diu and Daman won 12 medals each.
• Assam won 8 medals, of which 5 were gold medals.
• Lakshadweep also won the gold medal in beach soccer, a historic achievement for this ancient island region. They defeated Maharashtra 5-4 in the final match.
• The Beach Games, held from January 4-11, saw 1,404 athletes under 21 years of age from 28 states and union territories participate in a variety of sports with the support of a total of 205 match officials.

IMPORTANT FACTS FOR EXAM 

Blue Flag Certification

• The world's cleanest beaches are awarded 'Blue Flag' certification by the Foundation for Environmental Education.

Among the beaches that have received Blue Flag certification in India

• Total number 12 viz; Shivrajpur-Gujarat, Ghoghla-Diu, Kasargod and Padubidri-Karnataka, Kappad-Kerala, Rushikonda-Andhra Pradesh, Golden-Odisha, Radhanagar-Andaman and Nicobar, Kovalam of Tamil Nadu and Eden of Puducherry, Minicoy Thundi Beach and Kadmat Beach of Lakshadweep.