In a bid to bring the members of the transgender community into the mainstream, The Kerala State Sports Council will hold the first state-level athletics meet, according to The Times of India.
The tournament will include popular track and field events including the 100m, 200m, 400 and 4x100m sprint competitions, in addition to long jump and high jump. The tournament is the first of its kind in the country.
The move serves as yet another achievement by the state to integrate the transgender community, after the first transgender school – Sahaj International – was opened in Kochi last December.
Shyama, a 25-year-old M.Ed graduate and an organiser of the event, said:
The sports meet will take place in the Central Stadium in Palayam, Thiruvananthapuram, on 28 April. The organising committee includes Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and the Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs AC Moideen, Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran, VS Sivakumar, MLA, and Mayor VK Prasanth as other patrons.
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