Gurgaon: Directorate of secondary education, Haryana, has issued guidelines for the 2026-27 Haryana School Games, scheduled to be held from July 20 to Aug 3, introducing stricter eligibility verification norms and adding three new sports — wushu, modern pentathlon and squash — to the competition.Wushu is a Chinese martial art and combat sport; modern pentathlon is a multi-event competition that combines different athletic disciplines; and squash is a racket sport played in an enclosed court. With the inclusion of the three sports, the total number of disciplines in the Haryana School Games has increased from 30 to 33.The department has placed greater emphasis on age verification, documentation and player eligibility for the block- and district-level competitions to ensure transparency and fair play. Govt, govt-aided, recognised private, CBSE and Aarohi schools across Gurgaon will participate, with the district education department directing schools to complete document verification and player registration well before the competitions begin.Assistant education officer Jagdish Ahlawat said schools have been instructed to complete verification of documents of all participants before the start of the games. He said the department will strictly enforce age verification, eligibility norms and document scrutiny, while schools have been asked to complete the screening process and registration of participants within the prescribed timelines.Competitions will be held in the under-14, under-17 and under-19 categories. To prevent age-related disputes, the department has introduced a rule allowing a player to compete in only one age category during an academic session.The revised guidelines make documentation central to the eligibility process. Every participant must submit a duly filled eligibility form along with a recent passport-size photograph verified by the head of the school. Mandatory documents include a birth certificate, school leaving certificate wherever applicable, Class 8 or Class 10 certificate, previous year’s marksheet and an age verification test report. Officials said players with incomplete, incorrect or unverified documents will not be allowed to participate.The department has also tightened norms for birth certificates, stating that they must have been issued by the local or municipal authority and registered at least five years before the date of the block-level competition. In case of any dispute over a player’s age, the school’s admission and withdrawal register will also be examined to verify eligibility.
