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:
Even though we have made our presence felt in the cultural spaces and showcased our talents in mimicry, dance, mono act and so on, we were never given a platform to explore and experience our skills in sports until now. This event will be a revival of dreams for many, including me.
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.
This will be the first-ever transgender sports meet, which is an initiative of the government. We are expecting around 20 participants from each district and the representatives of each district will compete amongst each other. Also, a three-day warm up and coaching in different items will be given to the participants in their respective districts.Anil Arjunan, Event Co-ordinator
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