68th Kerala State School Sports Meet opens in Kozhikode; athletics to begin Tuesday

KOZHIKODE: The 68th Kerala State School Sports Meet has begun in Kozhikode, bringing together young athletes from across the state in pursuit of new records in distance, speed and height. Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan inaugurated the meet by lighting the ceremonial flame at the synthetic track stadium of the National Institute of Technology Calicut (NIT Calicut). A colourful march-past and cultural programmes added to the celebrations as the city prepared for a week of sporting action.

The competitions will begin on Monday with inclusive events for children with special needs. The main athletics events will start on Tuesday and continue until October 31.

The inauguration ceremony was presided over by General Education Minister N. Samsudheen. P.T. Usha, president of the Indian Olympic Association and brand ambassador of the meet, attended the event. Ministers T. Siddiqu and O.J. Janeesh, MP M.K. Raghavan, Kozhikode Mayor O. Sadasivan, and MLAs M.A. Razak, Parakkal Abdulla, K. Jayanth, K. Praveen Kumar, K.K. Rema, C.K. Kasim, V.K. Faisal Babu, P.K. Firos, V.T. Sooraj, Fathima Thahiliya, Vidya Balakrishnan and T.P. Ashrafali were among those present. Sajith Babu, Special Secretary in the General Education Department; Arun K. Vijayan, Director of General Education; and P.R. Sreejesh, Olympic medallist and Joint Director of the Education Department, also attended.

The opening ceremony began with a march-past featuring around 4,000 participants. Teams representing all 14 districts took part, alongside Student Police Cadets, NCC cadets, Scouts and Guides, and inclusive sports participants. Minister N. Samsudheen received the salute.

The meet will feature competitions across 10 venues, with 2,800 athletes competing in athletics across the sub-junior, junior and senior categories. Students from the Gulf region are also taking part.

Inclusive events to open competitions

Inclusive athletics events for children with special needs will be held at the NIT synthetic track on Monday. The main athletics competitions will run from October 27 to 31.

The sporting programme also includes wushu, softball, baseball, karate, ball badminton, netball, throwball, inclusive cricket, boxball, handball, badminton, football, tug-of-war, yoga, basketball and cross-country events, among others.