Udhayanidhi Stalin: Our goal is to make Tamil Nadu the sports capital of India
Udhayanidhi Stalin, the Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Welfare is basking in the glory of having received the Sportstar Aces award in Mumbai earlier this month for the best State for the promotion of sport.
“Our goal is to make the State the sports capital of India and that’s the ambition of the TN Chief Minister M.K. Stalin and our journey is towards that,” Udhayanidhi said at a press conference here on Monday.
He congratulated Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and all the sportspersons for the successful conduct of the 6th edition of the Khelo India Youth Games (KIYG), held in four cities of Tamil Nadu where TN finished second.
Finance shouldn’t be a hurdle for sportspersons, and with that in mind, the Tamil Nadu Champions Foundation (TNCF) was started the, according to the Minister. “So far more than 300 sportspersons have received a total of Rs. 6 crore from TNCF where we take care of travel, accommodation and visa expenses, and the best part is that they have come back with medals,” he said.
After a gap of 12 years, 76 coaches from different disciplines have been appointed by SDAT, Udhayanidhi mentioned.
The Tamil Nadu government will establish four Olympic Academies in Chennai, Madurai, Tiruchi and the Nilgiris, to provide world-class training in various sports including badminton, volleyball, basketball and athletics. India’s first Tamil Nadu Olympic Water Sports Academy will be established in Pirappanvalasai in Ramanathapuram district.
Badminton players from Tamil Nadu who are with SDAT went to the Jwala Gutta Badminton Academy of Excellence (Hyderabad) recently to train.
Atulya Misra, Tamil Nadu’s Sports Secretary, said this KIYG was the best-organized edition, according to sportspersons who took part in it.
“If you check with the athletes, the experience of sportspersons was much superior than any of previous editions of KIYG. In our opinion, no stone was left unturned in our quest to conduct the best-ever Games,” he said.
What stood out, insisted Misra, was the procurement of world-class equipments for different disciplines and the renovation of Stadiums including the Nehru Stadium, Mayor Radhakrishnan, Velachery Aquatic Complex and the velodrome at Tamil Nadu Physical Education and Sports University.
On the prospects of holding the Formula 4 night street race in Chennai, Misra said the State government is keen to organise the event. “We are ready for the event. There were huge rains and our energies were diverted (hence the postponement). If we want to promote sports, such events should happen. The Madras High Court wanted certain precautions to be taken including safety precautions among other things. We have been able to take it,” he said. Udhayanidhi added, “we will try to get more sponsors.”
J. Meghanatha Reddy, Member Secretary of SDAT, said Tamil Nadu that the State should focus more on wrestling . “In boxing we got four medals, in weightlifting we got eight medals and, of course, wrestling is one sport where we have to focus more. But one thing is clear from this KIYG: there is no North-South divide. If we provide good infrastructure, we can get more medals in any discipline,” he said.
Udhayanidhi said with the revamping of SDAT website, athletes need not visit the SDAT headquarters for everything. “It can be done online now. We will do whatever benefits the TN sportspersons.” he said.