A three-day State-level Bharathiyar Day and Republic Day Sports Competition, organised by the Department of Education, commenced here on Monday.
Collector M. Ravikumar declared open the meet at the District Sports Stadium here in the presence of Assistant Superintendent of Police, Tuticorin Town, P. Arun Sakthi Kumar.
The competition involves games such as boxing, taekwondo, beach volley ball and tennikoit. Around 2,400 sportspersons from 15 zones across the State were competing in these games. The participants in categories were under 14, 17 and 19 years of age, sources said.
Many participants along with their parents expressed their concern over lack of facilities to accommodate them.
Agitated over this, parents alleged that there was no proper arrangement made to facilitate the players.
A participant said the players had been accommodated in 12 schools without adequate facilities. Chief Educational Officer, K. Munusamy, said he sought assistance from Tuticorin Corporation to provide drinking water and water was arranged in the stadium.
As for accommodation, the players had to stay in government aided schools only and they could not be accommodated in other schools.
Required facilities had been catered to their needs, he said.
