CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has expressed its interest in hosting the 2029 National Games and sought the union government’s support for a series of ambitious sports infrastructure and athlete development projects aimed at transforming the state into a premier sporting destination. Uttarakhand hosted the National Games in 2025 and Meghalaya will hold the National Games 2027.
Aadhav Arjuna, state minister for public works, highways and sports development departments, met Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum outlining the state’s vision for sports development.
The memorandum highlighted key proposals including to host the 2029 National Games, building on Tamil Nadu’s track record of successfully organising major national and international sporting events.
The state also proposed establishing a National Centre of Excellence for Combat Sports at the upcoming 48-acre Tiruchy Olympic Academy and a National Centre of Excellence for Beach Sports in Nagapattinam.
To strengthen cycling and athletics, TN sought support for an international-standard indoor cycling velodrome and National Cycling High-Performance Centre in Coimbatore, along with synthetic athletic tracks in Pudukkottai, Thoothukudi, Villupuram, Tiruvallur and Krishnagiri districts.
The state further proposed Olympic-standard aquatic complexes in Coimbatore, Chengalpattu, Tiruvarur and Tiruppur, multipurpose indoor stadiums in four districts, an International Sport Climbing Centre in Chennai, a National Anti-Doping Education and Awareness Centre, and a National Sports Science and Rehabilitation Centre in Madurai.
To further widen the talent pipeline, the state requested an expansion of the Khelo India ecosystem, aiming to set up additional Khelo India Centres and District Centres across Tamil Nadu, ensuring at least two priority sports disciplines are covered in every single district.