Former National athlete and sports administrator Major (Retd.) Sripathy Rao Beedu passed away peacefully at his residence on Thursday morning. He was 78.
Beedu is the eldest in the ‘Beedu family’ of sportspersons. In his heydays, he excelled in short sprints, long jump and high jump.
He was a bundle of energy both on and off the field. And, it was his fighting spirit that inspired his brothers to take up the sport.
It was his constant encouragement that helped them represent the State and University.
A student of the Suburban High School in Coimbatore who later graduated with a Masters’ degree in Government Arts College, Beedu joined the Indian Army. After his retirement, he continued to work for the development of sports, particularly for veteran athletics.
He served under various capacities for nearly two decades.
He was the President of the Coimbatore District Veterans / Masters Athletic Association and was also the Vice President of the Tamil Nadu State Veterans / Masters Athletics Association and Masters Athletics Federation of India.
He is survived by his wife Leela and sons Deepak and Arun.
The Coimbatore District Masters Athletics Association expressed its condolences to the bereaved members of his family.
