Tamil Nadu’s reputation as the sports hub of India was established in the last three years of DMK rule that saw a plethora of international events being hosted and the sports infrastructure developed phenomenally like the renovation of the Nehru Stadium, Nehru Indoor Stadium, Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium, the tennis stadium and a slew of swimming pools. Chief Minister M K Stalin had released nearly Rs 1000 crore for sports development in the past three years when several international sporting events were held in Chennai like the International Chess Olympiad in 2022, WTA (Women’s Tennis Association) and ITF (International Tennis Federation) tournaments. Other sporting events that put the State on the world sporting map were the Asian Men’s Hockey championship in 2023, Khelo India Youth Athletic Meet in 2023, the Squash World Cup in 2023.
According to data provided by the State Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Rs 87.61 crore was spent on giving stipend to 2,738 sports persons who brought laurels to the State by proving their mettle in various national and international events. A total of 81 international coaches were appointed to prepare the sportspersons for various global and national meets in the disciplines of athletics, swimming, tennis, hockey and squash.
The successful organization of the 44th Chess Olympiad led to Stalin being named the Man of the Year by the United Arab Emirates based Asian Chess Federation and the international Squash tournament re.
