Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Friday said that the Tamil Nadu government, following the principles of the ‘Dravidian model’, was working towards making the State the sports capital of India.
Speaking at the inauguration of the sixth edition of the Khelo India Youth Games, he said that the government was focusing on sports in the same way that it was on all-round development of all sectors.
Lauding the efforts of Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin towards fulfilling the State’s goals in sports, he asked him to develop sports in Tamil Nadu in such a way that it attracts global attention.
Stating that the opportunity to host Khelo India Youth Games brought great joy to Tamil Nadu, he recalled that the State had hosted a number of national and international sporting events since 2021, including the 44th Chess Olympiad, the Squash World Cup 2023 and the Chennai Open Challenger.
He said that the construction of six stadiums for para-athletes, a first in the country; the setting up of Olympic academies in Chennai, Tiruchi, Madurai and The Nilgiris; and the establishment of the Tamil Nadu Sports Science Centre at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai were among the measures being taken by the government to improve sports infrastructure.
Pointing out that Tamil Nadu provided the opportunity for a few players from Manipur to undergo training here when their State was riven by conflict, he said that some of them were now participating in the Khelo India Youth Games.
He said that Tamil Nadu’s traditional sport of Silambam had been included in the games for the first time.
Mr. Udhayanidhi said that while Tamil Nadu had always been a leader in sectors such as health and education, it was now emerging as a leader in sports as well. While it generally took more than a year of preparation to host a Chess Olympiad, Tamil Nadu managed to pull it off in four months, he said.
The government was committed to providing support to sportspersons, he said, adding that sports kits would soon be distributed to youth in rural areas as part of late Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s birth centenary celebrations.
