Tamil Nadu BJP President K. Annamalai. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
BJP Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai on Tuesday, August 6, 2024 urged Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development Udhayanidhi Stalin to change the rules for conducting the Chief Minister’s Trophy 2024 by grouping students into three categories based on their age.
In a social media post, Mr. Annamalai said: “As per the National Sports Federation of India (NSFOI) rules, students should be categorised into three groups, based on age as 11 to 14, 14 to 17 and 17 to 19. But, in the Chief Minister’s Trophy 2024 rules, students aged between 12 and 19 have been categorised as a single group, against NSFOI rules. It would be irrational to make a 12-year-old compete against a 19-year-old.”
Such a contest without proper age categorisation not only denies equal opportunity but would cause a sense of distress among students and affect their future, said Mr. Annamalai, who also added that “it raises a question of whether Mr. Udhayanidhi has any understanding of his portfolio and objective of conducting such a contest.”
