Amaravati Championship Gets Underway in Tirupati; Event Enters Asian Book of Records
Over 2 lakh players took part in constituency-level rounds across Andhra Pradesh
Tirupati: The four-day state-level Amaravati Championship-2026 began in Tirupati on Monday, with the event entering the Asian Book of Records for the large-scale participation recorded during its earlier rounds.
The championship was conducted across all 175 Assembly constituencies from July 15 to 30, attracting 2,07,498 players, including 1,42,306 boys and 65,192 girls. District-level competitions were held from August 6 to 15, with around 83,650 players participating. Top performers qualified for the state-level event in Tirupati.
Minister for Sports and Youth Services Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy, Revenue Minister Anagani Satya Prasad, Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha and Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) chairman Ravi Naidu formally inaugurated the championship at the Tarakarama Ground of Sri Venkateswara University.
The Asian Book of Records team presented a certificate to Ravi Naidu in recognition of the championship’s large-scale participation.
Ramprasad Reddy said the championship had been conducted over the past two months, with athletes participating from the constituency level to the state level. He said the government was developing sports academies and infrastructure and providing incentives to encourage sportspersons.
Satya Prasad said sports were important for the physical and mental well-being of young people. He said the coalition government was promoting sports to encourage students to balance education and sporting activities and provide opportunities for talented athletes to progress from the grassroots level.
Anitha said parents were gradually becoming more supportive of children pursuing sports. She said the government was giving priority to developing sports infrastructure and academies across the state.
SAAP chairman Ravi Naidu said Tirupati was selected as the venue because of its sports infrastructure and facilities. Recalling concerns raised by students during Nara Lokesh’s padayatra over the lack of adequate playgrounds, he said Lokesh had assured them that sports facilities would be developed in Tirupati, which has seven universities and around two lakh students.
Ravi Naidu said a sports ground had subsequently been developed at Gollavanigunta and an indoor stadium named after NTR had been established at the women’s university. Sports infrastructure at Sri Venkateswara University was also being improved, with plans for a sports complex and academy, he said.
The programme concluded with athletes taking a sports pledge and an anti-drug pledge as part of National Sports Day observances. Legislators, public representatives, officials and sports administrators attended.
A useful final check would be to verify the Asian Book of Records recognition and the participation figures before publication.
