Chittoor District Collector P.S. Pradyumna on Wednesday said the city corporation planned to develop Chittoor into a vibrant sports city.
Inaugurating the National Sports Day event, commemorating hockey legend Dhyan Chand on his birth anniversary, Mr. Pradyumna said a synthetic track worth ₹8 crore would be laid and repair works at ₹2 crore would soon begin at the District Sports Authority stadium here.
He said sports and games played a crucial role in the integrated development of children and their becoming responsible citizens.
“Senior sportspersons, school managements, coaches, and sports enthusiasts should come forward with novel ideas to develop Chittoor into a vibrant sports city. Students at a tender age should also be taught about the importance of sports and games, which remain mostly neglected at the present,” Mr. Pradyumna said.
Exhorting experienced players and coaches to teach the younger generation sports techniques, Mr. Pradyumna said, “Coaches teach their students basic principles of sports. It is the duty of students to grasp skills and work hard to get the techniques.”
Later, Mr. Pradyumna lit a lamp to flag off a rally of students and players, covering major arterial junctions in the city.
On the occasion, he presented mementos and prizes to students who proved themselves in various sports and games at different levels.
District Educational Officer K. Pandurangaswamy said that steps would be initiated to bring back the lost glory of sports in government schools and colleges.
He thanked dedicated teachers and physical directors in schools as a number of students were joining sports and games, and proving themselves at competitions.
Rally of players
Displaying a wide range of sporting skills, youngsters took out a rally from the Srinivasa Sports Complex to the Mahati Auditorium in Tirupati.
The rally, led by skaters, included martial artists, hockey and football players and athletes.
Speaking at the event, Chittoor District Olympic Association President K. Santha Reddy said youngsters should be encouraged in sports.
Saying the association had been conducting several sporting events for the past nine days, she said,“We have involved students from rural as well as urban areas to bring out hidden talents in them, and encourage them further with the hope of transforming them into great sportspersons,”she said.
Sportspersons felicitated
Calling upon students to accord importance to sports and games on a par with academics, East Godavari District Collector Kartikeya Misra in Kakinada on Wednesday said that sports and games would help improve physical fitness along with mental strength.
Marking the Day, he flagged off a rally from the JNTUK Stadium in Kakinada and addressed youngsters. He highlighted the need for parents and teachers to encourage the youth to participate in sport events.
Later, he garlanded the statue of Dhyan Chand and felicitated 10 sportsmen who participated in national games.
‘Teach children benefits’
Former District Educational Officer and Principal of New Central School Balivada Malleswara Rao in Srikakulam on Wednesday said that value based education was the need of the hour to ensure the overall development of students.
He said that children should be explained the benefits of sports, spirituality and ethics.
Celebrations for the Day and the Matrubhasha Dinotsavam were organised on the school premises.
Speaking on the occasion, he said regular participation of students in sports and games would ensure physical fitness and competitive spirit among them.
School Directors P.Srikanth and P.Sridevi said children strong in their mother tongue would be able to learn other languages quickly. They recalled the contribution of eminent writer Gidugu Venkata Ramamoorty to Telugu.
