35th National Games to assess athletes ahead of CWG: Kalmadi

The 35th National Games to be held in Kerala from May 1 to 14 next year would provide an opportunity to assess the performance of athletes ahead of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, Indian Olympic Association President Suresh Kalmadi said on Tuesday.

Around Rs 600 crore would be spent for the meet. The centre had been requested to release at least half the amount, Kalmadi told reporters here, adding the Games would be a prelude to the Commonwealth Games scheduled to be held in October next year in New Delhi.

Kalmadi, who earlier attended a review meeting of the National Games organising committee along with state Sports Minister M Vijayakumar here, said 17 committees at the state level had been planned under ministers for the successful conduct of the games to be held in Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kollam and Kozhikode.

Alternative venues have been fixed in case some venues were not available, he said.

The Karyavattam campus of Kerala University here would be the venue for the opening and closing ceremony. Indoor stadium campus at Vattiyoorkavu and a renovated Waterworks Swimming Pool would be the venues for the games in the capital.

The hockey turf and indoor stadium at Kollam would also be made available for the event. In Kochi, shooting complex and indoor stadium would be used.