Chennai: Chief Minister M K Stalin said that turning Tamil Nadu into the sports capital of India was his dream as much as he aspired to make the State a ‘US $ One Trillion economy,' Chief Minister M K Stalin said, paying encomiums to State Minister for Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin for striving hard to realize that dream.
Speaking at the colourful inaugural function of the Khelo India Youth Games 2023 at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Chennai on Friday, Stalin said that his government had been hosting a series of prestigious international sporting events as part of its Dravidian Model governance that envisaged providing everything for everyone, developing all departments and ensuring growth of all districts.
Ever since the DMK came to power, the State had seen the historic organization of the 44th Chess Olympiad at Mamallapuram, ATP Challenger Tour, Chennai Open Challenger, Men’s Asia Championship Trophy 2023, Squash World Cup 2023, Surfing competition and Grand Masters Chess Championship, he said.
Besides raising the standard of sports infrastructure in the State to international levels, the government had also embarked on developing sports through the building of 6 stadia for para athletic events, three Olympic Academies in Chennai, Trichy and The Nilgiris, 10 mini stadia, to start with, in the districts and a Olympic Water Sport stadium in Ramanathapuram, he said.
While a sports science centre would be launched in the Nehru stadium, a colosseum to hold Jallikattu events had been constructed at a cost of Rs 66.77 crore at Alanganallur in Madurai and would be inaugurated by him on January 24, he said.
Recalling the kind gesture of the government to bring sportspersons from the troubled State of Manipur for training in Tamil Nadu, he said that some of the athletes who underwent coaching here were also taking part in the Khelo Youth Games representing their State.
Expressing happiness over the including of Silambam, the traditional martial art of the State, in the Khelo Games and incorporating the images of Tamil saint-poet Thiruvalluvar and also freedom fighter Velu Nachiyar who fought the British in the logo for the 2023 edition of the Games that was declared open by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the event, Stalin said the government was striving for the sports and economic development.
Sports had the ability to build love bridges and communal harmony besides fostering self-respect and self-confidence by contributing for the welfare of all, he said, urging Udhayanidi Stalin to ensure that the State drew the attention of the world for its sporting activities.
Union Minister for Sports, Anurag Singh Takur, in his address, said that India had come a long way in sports in the past 10 years from making news on corruption in sports to excelling in sports and increasing the medal tally in international events. He named chess prodigy R Praggnandhaa as a pride of the State.
Udhayanidhi Stalin, who welcomed the dignitaries and the gathering, said that the State that was once known for its excellence in education and medical facilities had now earned a name for its achievements in sports, too. He said Chief Minister Stalin had given sports the status of a co-curricular activity and not the usual extracurricular activity. Hosting the Khelo Games was a dream come true, he said.
For the inaugural that saw a slew of cultural events, showcasing the traditional arts of the State, the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister drove through the roads of Chennai separately, acknowledging the greeting of their supporters who had gathered in large numbers on the way.
