The Hindu : Sport : Scholarships awarded to 245 sportspersons

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Tuesday, Aug 01, 2006

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Sport - Sports : General

Scholarships awarded to 245 sportspersons

Principal Correspondent

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala Sports Minister, M. Vijayakumar, has said that sports should be made part of the school curriculum. He said though general education and physical education were two sides of the same coin, in Kerala, the emphasis was on the former.

The Minister was speaking at the function organised by Sports Authority of India (SAI) to distribute scholarships to 245 sportspersons here on Monday.

Calling Kerala a veritable minefield of talent, the minister said the State was not able to exploit the full potential of its sportspersons. He said the Government was in discussion with the Union Sports Ministry and SAI and has formulated big plans that are to be included in the 11th plan.

He said the Government would soon reconstitute the Kerala State Sports Authority and would ensure a democratic set up wherein the State sports associations could work without any hassles.

V. Sivankutty, MLA, in his presidential address reiterated the Government's commitment towards sports. In his welcome address, SAI assistant director, M.S. Varghese said that the scholarships would inspire athletes to perform even better. He urged the sportspersons to make maximum use of the facilities and opportunities provided by SAI at its regional coaching centres in the State.

G.J. Teggi, director of sports, and Dr. S.S. Hasrani, principal LNCPE, also spoke on the occasion.

Nearly Rs.20 lakhs was distributed as cash award to 245 sportspersons. The maximum prize money of Rs.18,000 was given to three sportspersons, while 117 received a cash award of Rs.8,400 each. Rs.6,600 was given to 107 sportspersons, while 18 got Rs.10,200 each.

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