HM exhorts youth to give importance to sports

Anakapalli: Home minister Vangalapudi Anitha said that along with studies, sports are also an important part of life.

After inaugurating the ‘Under-19 State-Level Boys and Girls Hockey Championship’ in Nakkapalli here on Saturday, the home minister stated that in a competitive world, a section of parents are mounting pressure on their children to score top marks. “But marks alone will not matter. Sports are also equally important as it aids in honing team spirit and learning to accept failures as part of life,” she emphasised.

Heaping praise over the growing recognition of women's cricket, Anitha said that cricketer Nallapureddy Shree Charani, a spinner from Andhra Pradesh who was part of the Indian team that won the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup, stands out in displaying her expertise in cricket and encouraged young girls to draw inspiration from her.

Further, Anitha said that it is a matter of pride that 40 to 50 hockey players from Nakkapalli alone have excelled at the national level. She lauded the steps taken by HRD and IT Minister Nara Lokesh to promote sports at school-level and transform the landscape of the education sector.

Underlining the spirit of sportsmanship, the Home Minister opined that winning and losing in games is common but what matters is the participation.

The home minister said that high priority will be given to NCC and NSS programmes from the school level.

In the wake of the increasing number of suicides due to mental and emotional stress, Anitha called upon students to participate in sports so that it would aid in leading a stress-free life.

She announced that the government would soon take steps to set up a hockey academy in Nakkapalli.

Students from all districts of the state took part in the competition. The hockey tournament organisers informed that competitions will be held between boys and girls teams for three days.

Earlier, Anitha garlanded the portrait of Hockey Wizard Dhyan Chand. She also interacted with the students.

As part of the event, cultural programmes were presented by the students.