Chief Minister’s Trophy sports events begin in southern districts

Chief Minister’s Trophy sports events across Tamil Nadu districts with cash prizes, education and employment opportunities for winners.

Chief Minister’s Trophy sports events began at VOC Ground in Palayamkottai on Tuesday.

 Inaugurating the events in the presence of Collector K.P. Karthikeyan, Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker M. Appavu said 27 events, including ‘silambam,’ were being organised in all the districts and the district-level winners would participate in the regional-level meet. The regional-level winners will qualify for the State-level meet to be held later.

While the three toppers in the district and the regional-level meets will get medals and cash award of ₹3,000, ₹2,000 and ₹1,000, respectively, the State-level winners will get ₹1 lakh, ₹75,000 and ₹50,000, respectively.

 “The winners of the State-level meet will get reservation in higher education and employment. While 500 seats in engineering have been allotted for sportspersons, seven seats have been earmarked in medicine and one seat in dentistry. Hence, the school-level outstanding athletes and the players should make use of this reservation,” Mr. Appavu said.

 The sports events are being organised under five categories – school students, college students, government servants, public, and the differently-abled.

 Mr. Karthikeyan, who had organised special campaign in all blocks of the district during the mass contact programmes, gram sabha meetings, ‘Ungaludan ungal ooril’ camps etc., to mobilise as many participants in the Chief Minister’s Trophy events, said the campaign had yielded excellent results. He had also launched a special initiative through the Department of Education, Department of Collegiate Education and Department of Police, Department of Revenue etc., to identify the hitherto unidentified talents from rural areas.

 “We’ have a good number of players and athletes, especially from rural areas, for all 27 events,” he said.