‘A.P. ready to host National Games in November’

They can be conducted at multiple venues, says Sports Minister

Big-ticket event: Kollu Ravindra addressing the media in Visakhapatnam on Friday. MLA V. Ganesh Kumar and GVMC Commissioner M. Harinarayanan are seen.

The State government has expressed its readiness to host the National Games in November 2018, Sports Minister Kollu Ravindra has said.

“We have made a request to the Union Government that we will host the games. It wanted us to hold the games in March/April, but we have expressed our preparedness to hold them in November. If not at one venue, the games will be held at multiple venues such as Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Tirupati, and Amaravati,” he told reporters here after announcing that the GVMC Indira Priyadarshini Stadium would be developed as a State-level ‘Khelo India Mega Centre’.

Multi-sports complex

Mr. Ravindra said national athletics (seniors) meet was conducted successfully in Vijayawada recently and athletes from 26 States took part. The Minister said the world-class multi-sports complex planned in Visakhapatnam would come up on the land provided by the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant. The Steel Plant board had approved the proposal for giving the land and approval of the Union Cabinet was awaited, he said.

“A sports training centre is coming up at Kommadi. Three academies have been sanctioned for Visakhapatnam and a water sports facility will also come up,” the Minister said.

While construction of stadiums was going on in Vizianagaram and Srikakulam, such facilities were also being planned in Tirupati, Nellore and Vijayawada.

In Amaravati, a Sports City was being planned in 400 acres, he added. With the announcement of the new sports policy by the government recently, budgetary allocation was made for sports, and 10 academies and sports schools would be launched, Mr. Ravindra said.

On the progress of mini stadiums in each Assembly constituency, each with a cost of ₹2 crore, he said, so far 35 had been completed and 56 were in progress.