Saap League launched to spot school-level sports talent

Vijayawada: The Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (Saap) on Monday officially launched the Saap League trophy and mascot, marking the beginning of a major grassroots sports initiative aimed at identifying talented players at the school level across the State. Saap vice-chairman and managing director (VC & MD) S Bharani, double Olympic medallist P V Sindhu and women’s world chess championship runner-up Koneru Humpy unveiled the trophy and mascot at the Berm Park at Bhavanipuram in Vijayawada.

The event drew enthusiastic participation from budding sportspersons, coaches and officials. On the occasion, Koneru Humpy played friendly chess games with young players, while both Humpy and Sindhu interacted with and posed for photographs with students.

Addressing the media, Saap VC & MD S Bharani said the Saap League aims to nurture sporting talent from the grassroots and develop athletes capable of competing at national and international levels. “Our primary objective is to identify promising players at the school level and provide them with structured training and exposure,” she said.

Further, she said the Saap League would be conducted throughout the year from February 21 to December across multiple disciplines, beginning with a chess tournament in Tirupati. Students from all districts, particularly from schools, are expected to participate in large numbers, she said. Bharani said SAAP is organising the competitions in collaboration with the School Games Federation of Andhra Pradesh (SGFAP). Initially, district-level selections would be held across the State, after which the best performers would represent their districts at the state-level tournaments, she added. Highlighting the scale of participation, she revealed that nearly 20,000 students have already registered for the inaugural chess league at the district level. The initiative, she added, aims not only to discover talent but also to produce future champions like Sindhu and Humpy.

Sindhu said Andhra Pradesh has immense sporting potential and the SAAP League would provide a crucial platform for young athletes to showcase their abilities. She assured that the government would extend financial assistance, quality coaching and infrastructure support to promising players after the league.

“The state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, is giving high priority to sports development. Young players should make full use of this opportunity,” she said.

Humpy expressed confidence that the initiative would produce many international-level athletes in the coming years. She noted that sustained support through coaching, funding and facilities would help talented youngsters realise their dreams and bring laurels to the state and the country.