Visakhapatnam, August 30: Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) Chairman Ravinayudu said the state is taking significant steps to strengthen the sports ecosystem while ensuring that genuine athletes get their due recognition. Addressing a media conference at the SAAP office on the occasion of National Sports Day, he outlined recent initiatives and warned of strict action against malpractices in the sector.
Ravinayudu said National Sports Day was celebrated in Visakhapatnam with great enthusiasm this year and added that SAAP is planning to involve at least three lakh participants in the celebrations next year. He announced that arrears of ₹16 crore pending for athletes have been cleared and that cash incentives worth ₹33 lakh were distributed to winners of the Amaravati Championship organized under SAAP’s supervision.
The chairman informed that as part of the Mega DSC recruitment, 421 posts have been allocated to the sports quota. However, more than 870 fake certificates were detected among the applications. “Those who submit fake certificates or issue them will face criminal cases. We will not allow injustice to genuine athletes,” he asserted.
Ravinayudu also expressed concern over athletes suffering due to playing under associations not recognized by SAAP. He urged sports associations not to create hurdles for players and announced that a review meeting with associations will be held every six months. “There cannot be two or three associations for one sport. If that happens, SAAP will intervene. Associations should not treat sports administration as a source of income,” he cautioned.
Speaking about the ‘Adudam Andhra’ scam, he said the Vigilance Department has already submitted its report to the government. “We are awaiting the government’s decision and expect action to be taken by September 5,” he said.
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