Thiruvananthapuram: Over 1,500 schools in the state will take part in the two day sports meet being organised by the Kerala State Sports Council at the Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium here from January 30. Students of CBSE, Kendriya Vidyalaya, and ICSE and Jawahar Navodaya Schools will attend the first edition of the event which will be inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at 6 pm on January 30.
Competitions will be held in Under-14 and Under-17 categories for girls and boys. Winners will be awarded with medals and certificates. Apart from Best Athlete and Team Championship trophies in each category, there will be Overall Championship award for the winning team. Best Performance trophy will be given to the best team in the March Past during the inaugural day. Competitions will begin on January 30 at 7.30am. The valedictory function and prize distribution will be held on January 31 at 4pm.
There are 1,320 CBSE schools, 167 ICSE schools, 14 Jawahar Navodaya schools and 40 Kendriya Vidyalayas in the state. Kerala Sports Council President T.P. Dasan told reporters here on Thursday that as many as 14 lakh children are studying in these institutions. However, these students are not getting the exposure they deserve in the sports field. Only athletics has been included in the inaugural meet and more games will be added in the coming years.
The plan was to ensure that students who win prizes in these competitions are also considered for sports quota admissions to engineering, medicine and degree courses, said Mr Dasan. Sports Council Secretary Sanjayan Kumar, Kerala State CBSE Management Association general secretary Indira Rajan, organising committee treasurer G.. Rajmohan, and D. Mohanan, convener, organising committee, were present.
