Visakhapatnam: The prestigious 63rd National Roller-Skating Championship competitions are set to commence in the city of Visakhapatnam.

Announcing it at a media conference here on Friday, president of the AP Roller Skating Association J. Sudhakar Reddy informed that athletes from 34 states and Union Territories will attend the 10-day-long national-level roller skating competitions that will be held in Visakhapatnam till December 15.

Approximately 4,000 skaters will participate and showcase their talent in the competitions in 11 categories. The event is being organised under the auspices of the Roller-Skating Federation of India (RSFI) with the support of the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Sudhakar Reddy said, adding that the Andhra Pradesh government has been extending support to the sport.

Organising secretary of the AP Roller Skating Federation Thomas Choudari stated that the competitions will be held at four locations in Visakhapatnam--VUDA Park Skating Rink, Shivaji Park Skating Rink, and Kailasagiri, Boyapalem Skating Rink.

Skaters from various states have arrived in the city and are practicing for the event.

The programme is being conducted with the support of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh.

He stated that the main objective of organising the event is to encourage the country's youth to explore skating. Organising committee members Yarlagadda Ravi, Seelam Lakshman, and others also spoke at the event.

V Anand Kumar, who recently won a gold medal at the world level, along with several other medal-winning athletes, are attending the event.

The performances of national and international athletes are expected to bring new enthusiasm among the participants.

The National Roller-Skating Championship competitions will be held in 11 categories, including speed, artistic, roller hockey, inline freestyle, inline alpine, inline downhill, roller derby, roller freestyle, skateboarding, and scooter for different age groups.