Tamil Nadu to build Olympic-standard Sports City with 46 disciplines

Tamil Nadu Public Works Minister Aadhav Arjuna told the Assembly on Monday that Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay will shortly announce details of a Sports City designed to accommodate 46 disciplines with international-standard infrastructure, and construction will commence within six months of that announcement.

Project restructured, not dropped

Responding to a query from Leader of the Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin about a Sports City first proposed under the previous DMK administration, Mr. Aadhav Arjuna, who also holds the Sports Development portfolio, clarified the project has not been shelved but is being restructured. "A Sports City to match Olympic standards was the objective of the DMK, and it is also the goal of the [present] DMK government," he said, adding it will be managed by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) and not any other entity.

Facilities and planning

The minister said a detailed project report is currently under preparation for the Sports City, which will include facilities for aquatic sports, archery, skating, BMX and multi-sport activities. Mr. Aadhav Arjuna noted that no international-standard stadium has been built in Tamil Nadu since the one constructed during former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa's tenure in 1994.

Mr. Udhayanidhi Stalin pointed out that acquiring the original 23-acre site in Chemmenchery, near Chennai, had not been straightforward.

Source: The Hindu