The Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) government has unveiled plans for a new Olympic-standard integrated sports city in Chennai, aimed at enhancing Tamil Nadu’s ability to produce medal-winning athletes. This announcement was made on Thursday and comes alongside the proposal for a ₹1,200-crore Secretariat complex, which will feature a modern Assembly and administrative offices.
Tamil Nadu to Establish Olympic City in Chennai
Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced the establishment of the Tamil Nadu Olympic City in Chennai during a recent Assembly session. This initiative will be executed by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).
The Tamil Nadu government-backed SDAT is the official sports body and its vision is to promote sports and physical fitness throughout the state, utilising resources drawn from the government, sports associations and others. “This Olympic City will be developed as an integrated sports complex of Olympic standards. “The new Secretariat building will bring together and integrate all government departments into a single administrative campus.
Because the existing infrastructure remains largely unchanged, it has reached a point of stagnation, over the past 40 years, the chief minister said, the number of employees working in government departments has increased significantly and,. On the proposal to establish a new Secretariat, Vijay said the existing Fort St George was built in 1640 on land purchased by the East India Company for commercial operations, and construction was completed in 1644. On the decision to set up a new Secretariat, Vijay said though the existing structure at Fort St George is spread across 107 acres, only four acres of land was under the control of the Tamil Nadu government for the Secretariat’s use. Earlier reporting noted: Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced the projects in the state Assembly on Thursday under Rule 110. In June, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports formed a task force to monitor motorsports in the country, with a vision of bringing Formula 1 back to India by 2028.
It will feature modern infrastructure including world-class sports arenas, state-of-the-art sports equipment, high performance training centre, sports medicine centres,” Vijay said, amid thumping of desks by his cabinet colleagues. A modern administrative complex will be created adhering to fire safety features, accessibility for persons with disabilities and green building standards,” he said. Earlier reporting noted: Earlier this year, FMSCI president Arindam Ghosh said discussions with the Union sports ministry and potential stakeholders had focused on bringing F1, MotoGP and WRC to India, along with developing Indian drivers and strengthening the country’s motorsports ecosystem.
Earlier reporting noted: The announcement comes amid renewed efforts to bring major international motorsport events back to India.
