Tirupati: Players impressed by arrangements, hospitality

Tirupati: The arrangements made for the ongoing national invitation kabaddi tournament here have been attracting the visiting teams from across the country. They were of the view that this tourney will make Tirupati get a new image as a sports city from now onwards. They commented that the modern mat courts, amenities provided for the players and other support staff of various teams are at national standards.

Ranganath, coach from Chenna Basava Academy in Bidar of Karnataka opined that the kabaddi tourney has drawn the attention of everyone across the country towards Tirupati which was otherwise known as the temple city. The idea of promoting the rural sport kabaddi and organising a mega national tournament for men and women at the foot of Lord Venkateswara will definitely promote the image of the city further.

A woman player Savithri Raghunath from Karnataka said that they were in depression with no matches being held for the past two years due to Covid. She has represented at district, state and national level tournaments previously. Only by playing more matches, the personal talent can be sharpened. The tournament has raised new hopes in the players and they are looking at the future positively.

Several other players also expressed happiness over participating in the tourney. The organisers have been looking after them well and providing excellent hospitality. The coordination by the officers, accommodation and food arrangements were extraordinary.

Though they participated in similar tournaments elsewhere in the past, they were of the view that these moments can be cherished for long.

The organisers have taken care of providing good nutritious food to all the participants keeping in view the food habits in different states. They were being served egg along with breakfast and the lunch and dinner menu included 12 items. Both vegetarian and non-vegetarian food is being served. Breakfast is made available between 7 am to 11 am, lunch between 12.30 pm to 3.30 pm and dinner during 7 to 11 pm.

MLA Bhumana Karunakar Reddy, Tirupati municipal commissioner P S Girisha and mayor Dr R Sirisha are regularly monitoring the menu and amenities. The MLA went through the food courts and interacted with the players about the quality and taste of the food. Further, liaison officers were appointed for each state to look after the needs of the participants.