TVK-DMK clash in Assembly over fate of Rs 261-crore Chennai Global Sports City

A political showdown erupted between Leader of Opposition Udhayanidhi Stalin and Tamil Nadu Sports Minister Aadhav Arjuna over the fate of the Rs 261-crore Chennai Global Sports City project at Semmenchery.Udhayanidhi raised the issue in the Assembly after reports suggested that the project, for which former Chief Minister MK Stalin laid the foundation stone earlier this year, had been dropped.He said the DMK government had planned the sports city across 128 acres to train Olympic-standard athletes and create international-level infrastructure in Chennai.“Just as this government cancelled the Parandur airport project, reports have now emerged that the Global Sports City project has also been cancelled,” Udhayanidhi said. Aadhav denied that the project had been scrapped, saying it was being reworked and that the land would remain with the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT).“We have not completely cancelled the sports city. We are restructuring it,” he said.FRESH DPR FOR SPORTS FACILITIES Aadhav said the original detailed project report (DPR) included water sports facilities, an archery training centre, skateboarding and BMX tracks and multipurpose sports arenas.The government is now preparing a fresh DPR to develop facilities for around 42 sports in line with international Olympic standards, he said.“If we are to create a sports city, we must build it to Olympic standards. That was the policy of the previous government, and it is the policy of this government too. There is no difference in that,” Aadhav said.The minister said the land identified for the project would remain with SDAT and would not be transferred to another agency or used for a different purpose.Aadhav added that work would begin within six months of the revised plan receiving approval.AADHAV QUESTIONS DELAY UNDER DMKThe Sports Minister said the DMK had promised the sports city in its election manifesto but floated the tender only on January 8, 2026.“For five years, nothing major was done. No initial work has started on this yet,” he said.Aadhav said the TVK government’s wider sports policy included hostels for men and women in all 38 districts and 10 world-class Olympic academies.He argued that Tamil Nadu needed a new sports structure and policy, claiming that no athlete from the state had won an Olympic medal in the past 100 years.UDHAYANIDHI SLAMS TVK GOVTAadhav also claimed that Tamil Nadu had not created international-level sports infrastructure since the death of former Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.Udhayanidhi hit back by pointing out that current TVK minister KA Sengottaiyan had previously served as Tamil Nadu’s Sports Minister.He said Sengottaiyan should respond to Aadhav’s allegation about the absence of international-standard sports infrastructure in the state.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Aug 31, 2026 16:04 IST