Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh new chairman takes charge

Vijayawada: P Ankamma Chowdary took charge as the chairman of Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP) in the presence of Minister for Sports Kollu Ravindra,  Minister for Water Resources Devineni Uma Maheswara Rao, MP Kesineni Nani, Deputy Mayor G Venkata Ramana and others at the Dandamudi Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday.

Chowdary, along with the SAAP board members, took oath in the presence of the dignitaries, sports personalities and others. Addressing a gathering, the new SAAP chairman Ankamma Chowdary thanked Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu for giving him the opportunity. He termed the Chief Minister as a big sports lover. 

He said that he would bring all sports associations in the state under one umbrella for the development of sports. He recalled that after 1995, Hyderabad was transformed into IT and sports hub when Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister. He said that as per Naidu’s wish, he would develop sports in the state to organise  Olympics in the state, he added.

Water Resources Minister Uma Maheswara Rao said Ankamma Chowdary had got four decades of experience in sports, and recognising his commitment, hard work and dedication, the TDP had given him the responsibility. The minister said with the same dedication and hard work, he should achieve various milestones in sports in the days to come. He wished him good luck.  

Kollu Ravindra said that the Chief Minister always encouraged sports in the state. He said it was an honour to a sports personalities like Ankamma Chowdary for choosing for the post of SAAP chairman. He said that the state had the best sports policy and with the help of SAAP,  sports persons from the state would participate in national and international events. 

He said that the state government allocated funds for the development of infrastructure for sports across the state. He said that NTR Kreeda Vikasa Kendrams were established in all mandals. Amaravati, Tirupati and Visakhapatnam would be developed as sports cities in the state, he said and recalled that P V Sindhu had won silver medal in Olympics, Rahul from Stuartpuram had won gold medal in the Commonwealth Games.