‘Adudam Andhra’ from today CM to inaugurate event

Andhra Pradesh is set to witness its inaugural state-wide sports extravaganza, ‘Adudam Andhra,’ commencing on Tuesday (December 26), across all Gram Panchayats, Municipalities, and Corporations. The 51-day sports festival will be inaugurated by Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at Loyola Public School in Nallapadu, Guntur district.
Supervising the inauguration arrangements at Nallapadu are Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Assistant Director (Technical) SV Ramana and Administrative Officer P Rama Krishna. Joining Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy at the inaugural function will be Minister for Tourism, Culture, and Youth Advancement (Sports) RK Roja, along with various Ministers, MPs, MLCs, and MLAs.
In a pioneering move, the State government has organised tournaments in Cricket, Volleyball, Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, and Badminton. The Gram/Ward Secretariat level competitions are scheduled from December 26 to January 9.
The ‘Adudam Andhra’ sports festival, spanning five stages—Village/Ward Secretariat, Mandal-Level, Assembly Constituency-Level, District-Level, and State-Level—will distribute a total prize money of Rs 12 crore among winners, runners-up, and the third and fourth places.
To ensure the success of the Village Secretariat matches, officials have made arrangements at available grounds due to the scarcity of cricket facilities in many villages.
The State government’s motive behind organising the ‘Adudam Andhra’ sports festival is to foster sports enthusiasm among students and youth, identifying and nurturing talent lacking access to coaching, sporting materials, and proper grounds.
In a bid to inspire talented individuals, the government has appointed 345 Sports Ambassadors, including both international and national-level players. Joint Collectors and District Sports Development Officers (DSDO) will extend invitations to these Ambassadors for the inauguration on the first day.
A staggering 1,22,13,101 players have registered for the games, comprising 69,78,286 men and 52,34,717 women. Cricket has emerged as the most popular game, with 14,33,081 players, while Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, Badminton, and Volleyball have attracted 7,82,786, 6,90,804, 3,46,838, and 7,00,431 players, respectively.
The ‘Adudam Andhra’ sports festival not only promises to be a celebration of athleticism but also aims to unearth and nurture the latent sporting talent within the State.