Sports Minister allots hostel seats to 495 school students selected for SDAT sports hostels

'Sports Policy' Being Formulated for Tamil Nadu as Directed by the Hon'ble Chief Minister Hon'ble Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Thiru Aadhav Arjuna Presents Allotment Orders to 495 Boy and Girl Students Selected to Join Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority Hostels Under the chairmanship of Hon'ble Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Thiru Aadhav Arjuna, a counselling session for the admission of school students to the sports hostels of the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority was held today, 29.05.2026, at the Nehru Indoor Stadium. At the event, the Hon'ble Minister presented sports hostel allotment orders to the selected boy and girl students and, addressing the gathering, said: The Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu has been paying special attention to the progress of the younger generation and implementing several schemes. In particular, by improving the sports sector, efforts are being made towards building a drug-free Tamil Nadu and easily achieving various goals including youth advancement and women's safety. In that regard, today counselling for admission of Class 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 school boys and girls was conducted at the 27 sports hostels and 6 Centres of Excellence functioning under the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority, and allotment orders for sports hostel seats have now been given to the students who took part in this counselling. The hostel admissions covered the sports of athletics, basketball, fencing, football, handball, hockey, judo, kabaddi, swimming, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting and wushu. Up to last year, 2,517 boys and girls had stayed and trained in the 40 sports hostels functioning under the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority. In today's counselling, the first 344 boys and 151 girls who qualified at the district and state level — a total of 495 students — were called for counselling and given their allotment orders. Like all of you participating in this counselling, I too studied in Tamil medium in a government school and, through perseverance, became a college sports hostel student and reached this position. Even those born and raised in rural areas, and those who come from economically weaker backgrounds, can, through their own effort, transform themselves into achievers. Care is being taken to ensure that economic background is no longer a barrier to achievement in the field of sports. I take this opportunity to state that all facilities you need to emerge as champions through the Sports Development Department are being arranged. If you begin training as a sportsperson under the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority, top colleges will invite you to join under the sports quota when you pursue higher education. Athletes trained under the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority command special regard. As Dr. Abdul Kalam said, I request parents to stand by each student in reaching for their dreams. Such dreams of the students will certainly bring them success one day. Although I hold the responsibility of Minister for Public Works, it gives me great happiness that from 6 AM to 10 AM every day, in my capacity as Minister for Sports Development, I give top priority to sports-related work. In accordance with the directions of the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, steps are being taken to formulate an excellent 'Sports Policy' for Tamil Nadu. I state that it is the duty of the Government of Tamil Nadu to prepare your children, who have joined the sports hostels of the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority, on par with soldiers, for the success of the State and of our nation. Thus spoke Hon'ble Minister for Public Works and Sports Development Thiru Aadhav Arjuna. Secretary to Government, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department, Thiru Sajjansingh R. Chavan, I.A.S., Member Secretary, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu, Thiru J. Meghanatha Reddy, I.A.S., District Revenue Officer Thiru Ra. Suman, General Manager Tmt. L. Sujatha, and the parents of all district-level sportspersons attended the event. Issued By: Director, Directorate of Information and Public Relations, Chennai-9