Students dancing Zumba during the opening ceremony of the Kerala School Athletic Meet at the Kerala University Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. | Photo credit: NIRMAL HARINDRAN / THE HINDU
Finance Minister KN Balagopal inaugurated the 67th Olympics-style Kerala School Sports Meet at the university stadium here on Tuesday.
He said that the state government has made strong interventions in the sports sector especially in setting up stadium infrastructure in different parts of the state to ensure a better future for the sportspersons of the state.
He expressed the hope that the sports meet of state schools attended by over 22,000 students, their parents, teachers and officials would become a platform for sportsmanship, friendship and brotherhood.
Equal opportunities
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who presided over the function, said that the sports meet is organized keeping in view the principle of equal opportunities for all children, while the inclusive sports meet provides an opportunity for differently-abled children.
The sports meet is expanding beyond the state borders, this time students from Kerala syllabus schools in UAE are competing in the festival. The inclusion of Kerala’s traditional martial art form Kalaripayattu in the general category is also worth mentioning.
Football player IM Vijayan and Mr. Sivankutty started the ceremony by lighting the ceremonial torch. Cricketer Sanju Samson, brand ambassador of the meet, and actor Keerthy Suresh, goodwill ambassador, conveyed their wishes to the students ahead of the week-long meet.
Ahead of the event, the Chief Minister’s trophy was on a relay in all 14 districts. The ceremony, which began at Neeleswaram in Kasaragod on October 16, reached Thiruvananthapuram district on Sunday and was admitted at the Government Higher Secondary School in Thattathumala. The trophy parade passed through all the constituencies in the district on Monday.
The organizational headquarters of the meet has been set up at Shikshak Sadan in Thiruvananthapuram and 16 specialized sub-committees are actively coordinating the preparations to ensure smooth running of the event. A massive canteen has been set up at the Maidan in Putharikandam which can accommodate 2500 people at a time. An exhibition showcasing decades of Kerala’s sporting achievements was also organized at the venue.
Seventy-four schools were converted into temporary hostels to house the athletes. Up to 142 buses were allocated to ferry students. Sanitary facilities and electronic toilets are also available in all plots and hostels.
Published – 21 Oct 2025 20:39 IST
