Nearly half of Tamil Nadu’s contingent for ‘Khelo India University Games 2025’ drawn from University of Madras

Nearly fractional of the Tamil Nadu contingent astatine the Khelo India University Games 2025 has been drawn from the University of Madras and its affiliated colleges.

The contingent of astir 200 athletes near for Rajasthan connected Saturday (November 22, 2025). The 82-strong contingent from the University of Madras (UoM) would enactment successful 9 disciplines of some idiosyncratic and squad events astatine the Games that statesman connected November 24.

Citing past records, V. Mahadevan, Director, Physical Education Department of University of Madras, exuded assurance that the contingent volition bash well. “Our athletes person ever done good and person won medals successful the past. Also, we person been sending 80 to 90 athletes to each the 4 erstwhile Khelo Indian University Games,” helium said. The contingent besides includes implicit 50 athletes from Annamalai University and adjacent to 20 from Anna University.

Working connected a paltry yearly fund of astir ₹60 lakh, the University of Madras is having to equilibrium its priorities. This is isolated from the ₹10 lakh that the assemblage allocates the Physical Education Department towards kit and azygous of the students.

The strategy works thus: Athletes from the 130-odd affiliate colleges and the assemblage departments be a peculiar campy wherever the imaginable representatives are selected. The imaginable representatives are past enactment done a peculiar coaching campy to make amended coordination among them earlier being sent for inter-university competitions. The attendees are reportedly paid ₹100 a time arsenic allowance during the camps. The signifier of regular grooming for athletes is conspicuously absent.

So, however galore of these athletes person the extremity of pushing themselves to scope the adjacent level? Very few, replies Mr. Mahadevan. “Most of the students who participate colleges oregon the assemblage nether sports quota aren’t that well-to-do. They mostly look for securing jobs nether the sports quota,” helium observes.

The assemblage has a moving collaboration with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu for utilizing its facilities during the enactment and coaching camps. That, to immoderate extent, addresses the infrastructure issue. Question remains, however, connected however specified a financially strained strategy is capable to enactment the requirements of athletes and propulsion their show levels up a fewer notches.