THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the state government has an approach that stands for the betterment of the sports sector and sportspersons.

"Kerala has a government that has provided all kinds of help in the field of sports at all stages. It has not backtracked on that at any point. The government's policy is to turn the contributions of the athletes in a way that strengthens the sports scene in Kerala," the CM said.

"Malayali athletes performed well in athletics in the Asian Games held in China. The 9 medals won by Malayali athletes are very valuable. The athletics team for the Asian Games underwent training at LNCPE, Thiruvananthapuram. The state government had given Rs 10 lakh each to all Malayalis and team members who participated in the Olympics. P R Sreejesh, the Malayali player of the team that won gold in hockey at the Asian Games, was given Rs 2 crore and a promotion at the time when the team won an Olympic medal. Sreejesh became the best goalkeeper in hockey through the GV Raja Sports School under the Sports Department," he said.

"The state government gives generous rewards to those who win medals in sports competitions. Those who won medals in the last Asian Games were given Rs 20 lakhs, 15 lakhs and 10 lakhs respectively. Apart from awarding prizes, around Rs 40 lakhs have been sanctioned to the sportspersons for better training and other things in the last two and a half years. The Sports Council had sanctioned Rs 5 crore for the training of athletes of the last National Games. Rs 4.27 crore has been sanctioned as the first instalment for the training of athletes for the National Games this time. This is the government that holds the all-time record for providing jobs to sportspersons. In the last 7 years, the state government has appointed 676 players under the sports quota. There is no sports quota appointment in other states. In Kerala, 50 people are compulsorily appointed under the sports quota every year. All the athletes who won medals in the National Games held in Kerala in 2015 and all the members of the Santosh Trophy-winning Kerala team were given appointments. In this way, the government is giving all kinds of support and encouragement to sports players. It will continue to happen," he added.