Vijayawada to host 2029 National Games

Vijayawada: Vijayawada MP Kesineni Sivanath alias Chinni has said that the State government is giving top priority to strengthening sports infrastructure in Vijayawada, a key component of the Amaravati Capital Region. He said Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu intends to make Vijayawada a major hub for national and international sports and is keen on organising prestigious national-level competitions in the city in the coming years. The MP, along with Vijayawada East MLA Gadde Rammohana Rao, inspected the ongoing modernisation works at the Chennupati Ramakotaiah Municipal Corporation (CHRMC) Indoor Stadium at Patamata on Wednesday. The leaders interacted with officials and reviewed the progress of the sports facilities being developed as part of a large-scale upgrade initiative. Speaking during the visit, MP Sivanath said that the city’s stadiums would be fully ready to host the 2029 National Games, a key goal set by the Chief Minister. He announced that the Junior National Badminton Championship would be held in Vijayawada at the end of December. In view of this, he said, all major sports arenas in the city are undergoing rapid modernisation. While the CHRMC Indoor Stadium is being upgraded by the Vijayawada Municipal Corporation (VMC), the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation Stadium and Dandamudi Rajagopalarao Indoor Stadium would be jointly developed by the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) and the VMC, he added.

He said that both Visakhapatnam and Vijayawada have recently been hosting several national sports events, underscoring the State’s renewed commitment to promote athletes. The new sports policy, he said, provides unmatched incentives, remuneration, and training support for emerging sportspersons.

MLA Rammohana Rao said it was a moment of pride for the city to host the upcoming national badminton tournament. He asserted that only Naidu has the vision to bring even the Olympics to Andhra Pradesh, citing his reforms between 2014 and 2019 that strengthened sports development, incentives, and athlete training.

AP Badminton Association Secretary Dr P Ankamma Chowdary, VMC Corporators Chennupati Usha Rani, Mummaneni Prasad, VMC Chief Engineer Satish Kumar, EE Samrajyam, and other officials were present.