The State government’s plan is to bring comprehensive changes starting from the school level for sports development, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has said.
Inaugurating a synthetic track with international standards constructed on the Mangattuparampa campus of Kannur University here on Monday, the Chief Minister said children should be made to take part in sports to promote the activity among them.
The State aimed to mould a physically fit generation, he said.
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Noting that the State government’s ‘Health through sports’ project was prepared with this objective in mind, Mr. Vijayan said basic sports training infrastructure should be excellent to achieve this objective. Importance should be given to restore lost play grounds and to make new ones, he said, adding athletes in the State were excelling despite constraints. Their talents could be enhanced by offering first-rate training, he said.
The synthetic track developed at the university would give impetus to the sports development of north Malabar region including Kannur, which had a rich sports tradition, Mr. Vijayan said. Complimenting the Kannur University for its sports development activities, he said it was the first university in the country that recognised Kalaripayattu as a special topic of study.
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University Vice Chancellor Gopinath Ravindran presided over the function. T.V. Rajesh, MLA, inaugurated the athletic coaching centre on the campus. Olympian Shyni Wilson, MPs P. Karunakaran and K.K. Ragesh, and district panchayat president K.V. Sumesh were among those present.