Tamil Nadu is set to significantly expand its sports infrastructure, with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announcing a series of major initiatives in the state Assembly on Thursday.
The state government will establish a world-class Tamil Nadu Olympic City in Chennai, aimed at creating an integrated sports hub with advanced training and support facilities for athletes, according to reports.
The Olympic City will be developed by the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority and will feature world-class sports arenas, state-of-the-art sporting equipment, a High-Performance Training Centre, as well as dedicated Sports Science and Sports Medicine centres.
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The facility will also include modern infrastructure such as accommodation for sportspersons and coaches, the Chief Minister announced.
The proposed Olympic City is aimed at providing athletes from Tamil Nadu with access to advanced training and specialised support, with the broader objective of helping the state's sportspersons win more medals at the Olympic Games and other international sporting events.
Tamil Nadu Plans Dedicated Motorsports City
"World-class, Olympics standard infra and training structure with residential facility will be built. This will help Chennai host international events and to churn out Olympians," Vijay said.
The state government is also planning to establish a dedicated motorsports city in Chennai, with the facility intended to host Formula 1-4 races in the city.
"An Olympic city will be set up in Chennai. A motor sports city will also be set up in Chennai to host Formula 1 races. The talents of youth in motor sports will be identified, and training and racing opportunities will be provided to create national and international level champions," the Chief Minister said in the Assembly.
The announcement comes amid efforts at the national level to strengthen India's motorsports ecosystem.
"Establishing world-class motor vehicle car racing arenas will provide opportunities for tourism, special vehicle manufacturing industries, employment, and economic development."
In June, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) created a task force to monitor motorsports, with a vision of bringing Formula 1 racing back to India by the end of 2028.
"We will try to bring back F1 in India by 2028. For this, we created a task force which monitors motor sports in the country and submits its report to the Ministry," an MYAS source told ANI on Saturday, cited by NDTV.
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The proposed motorsports city in Chennai could therefore form part of Tamil Nadu's wider push to position the state as a major destination for international sporting events.
With plans for both a world-class Olympic City and a dedicated motorsports facility, Tamil Nadu is looking to expand its sporting infrastructure while creating better training, medical and support systems for athletes and motorsport events.
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