KOCHI: The eight-day-long Kerala State School Sports Meet, which witnessed various records being broken and young participants from the Gulf countries came to an end on Monday.
Thiruvananthapuram, with 1,935 points, became the overall champions in the fair, conducted on the lines of Olympics. Thrissur with 848 points and Malappuram with 803 points finished second and third, respectively.
In athletics, Malappuram came first for the first time in history. Malappuram got 247 points. Palakkad stood second with 213 points and Ernakulam third with 73 points. Last year, Palakkad had won the title in athletics followed by Malappuram and Kozhikode.
Earlier, Thiruvananthapuram district had swept the Aquatics events with 654 points followed by Ernakulam and Kottayam with 162 and 90 points respectively.
Addressing the culminating ceremony, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said this is the first time a state is organising such a vast sports event. “If we consider the number of participants, the Kerala Sports Meet is bigger than Olympics. This year, we conducted an event with the concept of Inclusive Sports and special children were also able to showcase their skills,” the chief minister said.
In the massive event, which was noted for professional conduct amid a doubtful weather forecast, authorities said nearly 24,000 young athletes contested in 39 sports events at 17 venues.