iD Desk
iD Desk
With the energetic beats of the ‘Aadudam Andhra’ anthem echoing through Vijayawada’s Indira Gandhi Stadium and ‘Kittu,’ the lively mascot, adorning the venue, Andhra Pradesh’s Sports Minister RK Roja, SAAP (Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh) Chairman Byreddy Siddharth Reddy, and Principal Secretary PS Pradyumna set the stage for the upcoming mega sports festival– ‘Aadudam Andhra’. They briefed the media about the upcoming program, sharing their excitement about the same.
Explaining the motto behind the mega sporting festival launched by the Andhra Pradesh Government, Minister Roja disclosed that the sporting festival has been designed with only one aim in mind: “To promote youth to participate in sports and to encourage them to maintain a healthy lifestyle.”
She further added that the agenda of the program extends “To identify sports talent, particularly from the rural backdrop, and provide them with the best platform/ resources to excel at national and international levels.”
Spilling out the details of the campaign, she informed, “Knock-out competitions will be held for 5 competitive sports, including Cricket, Kho-Kho, Kabaddi, Badminton, and Volleyball, separately for both genders, men and women, across the state at 5 levels. The tournaments will culminate with state-level competitions.”
Encouraging all citizens of the state above 15 years of age to participate in huge numbers, the Sports Minister explained the registration process and stated, “In order to participate, individuals can register at aadudamandhra.ap.gov.in, or dial the toll-free 1902 number, or visit the nearest Gram/Ward secretariat.” She further emphasized the comprehensive arrangements made by the State Government, ensuring the successful conduct of a record 3 lakh matches in 50 days.
Detailing the sports kits provided by the state government to participants, she added, “Registered players will receive basic kits at ward/village secretariats and professional kits at the Mandal level to ensure that all participants have equitable resources to display their talent.”
“The top players and teams playing at the constituency, district, and state levels will be given cash prizes. The total pool money for the prices is Rs 12,000 crores,” Minister Roja said while apprising the media about the exciting prizes that the participants shall be receiving. Adding to it, Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) chairman Byreddy Siddharth Reddy stated, “The participants shall also be rewarded with trophies, medals, and professional training by interested sports academies.”
Declaring Aadudam Andhra as AP’s largest sporting event, he informed that, “The government is expecting a potential participation of 85 lakh to 1 crore people. Ten thousand playing grounds across 15,000 ward/village secretariats have been prepared for more than 3 lakh sports events to be held. The event will be facilitated by ward/village volunteers, who are being trained as match referees.”
Providing support for cricket enthusiasts, Reddy announced that “the Andhra Pradesh government is looking forward to making a collaboration with Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings to provide training at exclusive IPL franchise-run academies.”
In the end, Minister Roja and Byreddy, on a lighter note, exchanged a few trivia questions to discover each other’s sports knowledge. During this exchange, Minister Roja asked about ‘Byreddy’s preferred sport and player; he promptly responded that his favorite sport is cricket, and while he admired Sachin in the past, his current favorite is the Indian Cricket Team Captain, Rohit Sharma’. Similarly, when Byreddy asked Roja about her favorite game, she disclosed that her preferred sport is ‘Kabaddi’, and she finds the most joy in actively participating in the game.
On being asked whether opposition leaders ‘Nara Lokesh and Pawan Kalyan are allowed to participate in the sports events’, Roja sportingly stated, “Any individual who is a resident of AP is allowed to take part in the sports competitions.”
While interacting with each other, Minister Roja was asked to sing the initial lines of the Aadudam Andhra anthem song, which were ‘Pada Pada Idhi Mana Samayam, Pada Pada Idhi Mana Aata Kadha’. Adding to these, Roja composed a few lines to endorse the initiative and said, ‘Aadudam Andhra: Idhi Andari Aata, Yuvaraj Bhavishyathuku Bangaru Bata, Meelo Unna Pratibhanu Velikiteesi Veta,’ which translates to “It’s a game for everyone, a golden path to the future of youth, a quest to uncover the talent within you.”
