THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The first edition of the Kerala Games organised by the Kerala Olympic Association — The 12-day long sports gala and expo —will conclude today in the capital. The city witnessed competitions like archery, football, judo, netball, wushu, rugby, tennis, basketball, weightlifting and aquatics to name a few.
The district became the overall champions of the Kerala Games with 522 points, which included 27 gold, 27 silver and 19 bronze medals. Ernakulam secured the second place with 283 points, including nine gold, 13 silver and nine bronze medals. Palakkad came third with 70 points and Alappuzha in fourth place with 43 points. The capital also dominated the water polo competition with gold medals in men’s and women’s categories. As the individual champions in the sports gala, Thiruvananthapuram’s M Adarsh and Kasargod’s Liana Fatima Ummer were awarded with honours as they scored 35 points each in various events.
The Thiruvananthapuram district also became overall champions in athletics and aquatics competitions. Thiruvananthapuram athletics team won the championship with 56 points, including seven gold, six silver and three bronze medals. Alappuzha district came second with 42 points, including five gold, five silver and two bronze, while Kottayam bagged the third position with 33 points, including four gold, three silver and four bronze medals.
The Kerala Games was a double delight for Thiruvananthapuram as both women’s and men’s basketball teams became the champions. The Kerala Games with a total of 24 sports events were held as a replica of the International Olympic Games. Apart from the sports events, a lineup of cultural events was held at Kanakakunu as part of the programme. Governor Arif Mohammad Khan will distribute the prizes to the winners of the games at the valedictory function being held at Nishagandhi auditorium at Kanakakunnu on Tuesday. Education Minister V Sivankutty will preside over the ceremony.