CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Thursday said Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin has brought significant attention to the sports development department and the department and the minister have grown together. Speaking at a function organised to present shields to winners of the CM Trophy Games 2024 in Chennai, the CM said, “The DMK government after assuming office in 2021 has changed the mindset of treating sports as entertainment and has turned it into a career option”.
“It is evident that the elevation of your minister as deputy CM has given a new energy to you all. Indeed, you have played a role in his promotion since Udhayanidhi made the sports development department the one which drew significant attention,” Stalin told the sportspersons.
The DMK government, Stalin said, is giving equal importance to education and sports. He exhorted the youth to strive for global honours by using the opportunity provided by the government, and added that the government is ready to provide them all assistance.
“The number of sportspeople who took part in the CM Trophy Games is more important than how many of them won prizes. You all should have sportsmanship. You should not take part in competitions just to win -- because winning is the target while participating in sports is your passion. Chase your passion; success will follow. Tamil Nadu is waiting to celebrate your victory,” Stalin said.
Stalin recalled how the state organised the 44th Chess Olympiad, Chennai Open WTA Tennis Championship, Chennai Chess Grandmaster 2023 etc. The CM also pointed out the high-cash incentives for sportspersons who won medals in international events and huge allocations made by the government for creating sports infrastructure across Tamil Nadu.
Welcoming the gathering, Udhayanidhi said, “The CM never viewed sports as an extracurricular activity or a co-curricular activity. He always treated sports as the main curricular activity and accorded it due importance. Last year, 6.71 lakh sportspersons took part in the CM Trophy events. This year, it has gone up to 11.56 lakh. To encourage students and sportspersons, the state government has been organising national and international events in Tamil Nadu.”
Stalin presented shields to the teams from Chennai, Chengalpattu and Coimbatore districts which won the first three places in number of medals.