Date:02/12/2002 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2002/12/02/stories/2002120202870500.htm

Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad

Make National Games a grand success: CM

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD Dec. 1. The Chief Minister, N. Chandrababu Naidu, on Sunday took his dreams to a new peak when he spoke of making a bid for hosting the Olympics in Hyderabad as and when it is allotted to India, utilising the infrastructure created for the coming 32nd National Games as a springboard.

Addressing a meeting of 3,000 volunteers chosen for the ten-day National Games beginning on December 13, Mr. Naidu said a lot of investment went into the infrastructure and other facilities for the National Games. The idea essentially was to prepare and enable athletes from Andhra Pradesh to win the maximum number of medals for the country in the Olympics.

Mr. Naidu administered oath to the large gathering of college-going boys and girls that they would work voluntarily to the best of their ability for the Games. He released a brochure on the volunteers' work and a `Doping control guide' prepared by Swarup Mukerjee, sports scientist of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh.

He called upon the volunteers to work for the grand success of the Games and pay personal attention to the 7,000 participants. "The hardware is ready and we wanted software, that is energetic volunteers like you.

The onus is on you for making it a memorable event. It should become a benchmark for future games for providing the best of the infrastructure, hospitality, facilities and food.''

Impressed by the enthusiastic response from the volunteers, most of them NCC cadets and NSS volunteers, he asked them to continue the same spirit during the Games. The Government would recognise their voluntary service and felicitate them after the event. Mr. Naidu said the budget for sports has been increased from Rs. 3 crores earlier to Rs. 50 crores to improve the facilities for sportsmen and to enable them to perform better. Players who brought international laurels were rewarded in the best possible manner.

The Sports Minister, P. Ramulu, said the entire State machinery was being geared up for the successful conduct of the National Games. "Respect and honour of the State is involved and you should rise to the occasion to welcome our guests,'' he told the volunteers. The Excise Minister, T. Seetharam, who is the chairman of the volunteers' committee, said the National Games was only the beginning of a series of sporting activities. The credit for making the city, the sports capital, should go to Mr. Naidu.

The badminton star, P. Gopichand, L. V. Subramaniam, Managing Director of SAAP, V. Manohar Prasad, Director, Marketing and convenor of the volunteers committee and Aruna Bahuguna, Inspector General, spoke and motivated the volunteers to put in their best effort to make the Games a huge success.