Wait and See What Happens in Delhi Today, Says Aadhav Arjuna on Mekedatu Issue
Aadhav Arjuna announces online monitoring of coaches, athlete insurance, job opportunities and quarterly incentives.
Chennai: Responding to media queries whether Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay would meet Congress leaders during his Delhi visit on Monday to press Tamil Nadu’s stand on the Mekedatu dam issue, as suggested by AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K. Palaniswami, Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna has said, “wait and see what happens in Delhi tomorrow.”
Speaking to reporters after attending the Tamil Nadu Olympic Association’s executive committee and general body meeting at a hotel on Anna Salai, he said the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) would issue identity cards to all coaches, making it possible to identify those providing training in each district.
The increasing number of POCSO cases in the sports sector is partly due to the presence of fake and unregistered coaches. The details of coaches would be monitored through an online platform, helping authorities act on complaints and prevent exploitation of young sportspersons.
He said several districts had no clear system to identify authorised coaches, even though hundreds of young athletes depended on them for training. The government would also identify fake sports associations and competitions so that athletes could distinguish genuine organisations from unauthorised ones.
The minister said the government was working to strengthen support for sportspersons and improve Tamil Nadu’s prospects of winning Olympic medals. For athletes representing the state in competitions outside Tamil Nadu, the government would bear travel expenses, including airfares, while SDAT would provide jerseys and sports equipment.
Athletes suffering injuries would be covered by insurance and allowed to receive treatment at private hospitals. The Nehru Indoor Stadium would give priority to State-level competitions, and sports associations would no longer be charged for conducting their events at the venue, he said.
The government was also planning to provide incentives once every three months to athletes who had won medals or achieved success at national and international levels. Incentives would be distributed to 1,100 sportspersons on November 19, he said.
Pointing out that only 305 sportspersons had secured government jobs between 2005 and 2026, he said steps would be taken to provide employment to 300 to 400 athletes every year. Hostels for sportspersons were also being developed, while district-level Olympic associations would be encouraged.
Arjuna said the government was planning to introduce physical education periods in colleges in view of the growing prevalence of drug use among students. Separate Chief Minister’s Trophy competitions for women would also be organised. Traditional Tamil sports, including silambam, would receive greater attention, with the government preparing a list of competitions eligible for official support.
He said disputes and court cases relating to elections in some sports associations had affected administrative functioning and delayed the issue of certificates to successful athletes. The SDAT would constitute a committee to ensure that sportspersons were not affected until the disputes were resolved.
