Revanth Reddy today urged Union Minister for Sports Mansukh for opportunities to host future national and international sports events in the State.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, along with Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and Minister for Tourism Jupally Krishna Rao, today called on Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi, and urged him to provide Telangana with opportunities to host future national and international sports events, including the Olympics.
The Chief Minister emphasized that Telangana possessed all the necessary infrastructure to host such events, and was committed to providing world-class facilities for athletes to excel on the global stage.
Reddy told Mandaviya that Hyderabad had international-standard sports facilities including the Gachibowli Sports Complex, the Saroor Nagar Stadium, the L B Stadium, the K B R Indoor Stadium, the OU Campus, the Gymkhana Grounds and the Hussain Sagar, which offered amenities like swimming pools, multi-purpose indoor stadiums, synthetic athletic tracks, shooting ranges, football grounds, skating tracks and water sports facilities (rowing, kayaking, and canoeing).
He also mentioned the availability of five-star hotels in, and excellent air and rail connectivity to, Hyderabad.
The Chief Minister reminded the Union Minister that Hyderabad had successfully hosted major events in the past, such as the National Games in 2002, the Afro-Asian Games in 2003 and the World Military Games in 2007.
He also highlighted the achievements of the State's athletes who had won medals in various international competitions, including the Olympics.
He requested that Telangana be given the opportunity to host future events like the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and even the Olympics.
He also sought the inclusion of Hyderabad as a venue for the Khelo India Youth Games scheduled for January 2025.
Discussing the State government's plan to establish a sports university in Telangana to nurture the sporting talents of the youth, Reddy requested financial assistance from the union government for setting up this university, which he said would focus on training and research across various sports disciplines.
He also urged the union minister to increase the allocation of funds to Telangana under the Khelo India scheme, for the development of sports infrastructure.
The Chief Minister also requested the approval of the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) already submitted by the State government for the upgrade of facilities at the GMC Balayogi Stadium in Gachibowli, the shooting range at the University of Hyderabad, the L B Stadium, the sports school in Hakimpet and the Saroor Nagar Indoor Stadium.