The state capital has geared up to host the 67th Olympics-style Kerala Schools Sports Meet to be held at 12 venues from October 21 to 28.
General Education Minister V. Sivankutty, who addressed a press conference here on Sunday, said that all arrangements are in place to organize the event. Almost 20,000 athletes will compete at the festival, including participants from inclusive sports categories. 35 students from seven schools of the Kerala syllabus in the Middle East region will also participate.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will formally inaugurate the meeting at the university stadium on October 21. The ceremony will begin the march. Football legend IM Vijayan and General Education Minister will light the ceremonial torch. The audience is treated to a colorful cultural show that celebrates the rich artistic and traditional heritage of Kerala. Sports competitions will start on October 22.
Cricketer Sanju Samson has been roped in as the brand ambassador for the athletic meet and actor Keerthy Suresh will be its goodwill ambassador.
Trophy relay
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 will pass through all the constituencies in the district on Monday. The trophy will arrive at the Government Model Girls Higher Secondary School (GHSS), Pattom, before proceeding to the university stadium on Tuesday.
The torch relay, which started in Ernakulam on Sunday, will also travel across schools in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. The torch and trophy processions will assemble at the Pattom Government Model GHSS before heading to the launch site.
Mr. Sivankutty said that 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 e-toilets are also available on all plots and dormitories.
According to the minister, this is the first time that a theme song has been composed for an athletics meeting organized on the lines of the Olympics. The song was composed, performed and produced entirely by students from government schools, another milestone in the history of the meet. The author of the text is Prafuldas V., student XII. class from Government Higher Secondary School, Pottassery, while the music was composed by Shivankari P. Thankachi, an IX student. classes from Cotton Hill Government Girls HSS. Shivankari and several other students from Cotton Hill Government GHSS and Thycaud Model Boys HSS rendered the song.
Published – 19 Oct 2025 21:08 IST
