THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs Venkaiah Naidu will inaugurate the 35th National Games at the Trivandrum International Stadium, Kariavattom, at 6 pm on January 31.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was expected to attend the inaugural ceremony of the national sporting event, but state Sports Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan said that it was Modi who recommended Naidu as a representative of theCentre following the PM’s unavailability.
Naidu would be joined by Sachin Tendulkar, Union Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy,Indian Olympic Association president N Ramachandran, Speaker G Karthikeyan, Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan, state ministers, sportspersons and other prominent personalities. During the ceremony, Games goodwill ambassador Tendulkar would hand over the Games torch to P T Usha and Anju Bobby George who would light the Games flame together. “A three- hour-long cultural programme involving over 5,000 artists, the highlight being a performance by actor Mohanlal and his band Lalisom - the Lal Effect, will follow,” Thiruvanchoor told a press meet here on Saturday.
“The closing ceremony on February 14 would be attended by Governor P Sathasivam, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Union Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari and CPM leader Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, among others,” the Minister said.
‘Passes will be Free’
Thiruvanchoor also informed that passes for the opening and closing ceremonies of the National Games along with those for entry to the stadiums during the Games would be free of cost for the public.“For the opening and closing ceremony, we expect around 1 lakh people in attendance at the Trivandrum International Stadium and the passes for these will be made free to involve people from all spheres in the Games,” Thiruvanchoor said. “We will also issue free passes for sporting events during the Games so as to ensure that people entering the stadiums will have a seat to watch the match,” the minister said.“The passes for the ceremonies and sporting events will be made available at counters at the International Stadium, Kariavattom, and Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium from January 26,” he said. The inauguration of the issuing of passes will be done by Chandy after the inauguration of the Kariavattom stadium on the day.
Stadium Inauguration
Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan on Saturday said that the officials related to the 35th National Games have doneeverything possible to ensure the smooth conduct of the Games in the state between January 31 and February 14. Thiruvanchoor said that the inauguration of the rest of the stadiums for the Gameswould be completed in the coming days. “The Trivandrum International Stadium at Kariavattom would be inaugurated by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on January 26,” he said.“The new Hockey Stadium at Asramam, Kollam, would be inaugurated by Chandy on August27, “ he said, but added that it might get postponed to the next date due to the strike called by the BJP in the state on Tuesday.
On January 28, the CM will open three Games facilities in the capital- the Shooting Range at Vattiyoorkavu at 11 am, the Games Village at Menamkulam at 5 pm and the renovated Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium at 7 pm.“The Corporation Stadium, Kozhikode, hosting football matches in the National Games would be inaugurated by Chandy at 5 pm on January 29,” Thiruvanchoor said.