Tourism Minister R. Rajendran greeting the participants during the inauguration of the sports festival Idhu Namma Aattam 2026 in Salem on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: LAKSHMI NARAYANAN E.
Tourism Minister R. Rajendran inaugurated the youth sports festival Ithu Namma Aattam 2026in Salem on Sunday.
The Minister said that Ithu Namma Aattam 2026 will be held across the 388 taluks in 37 districts in the State on behalf of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) to encourage sports activities among youth and to improve their skills. Men and women aged between 16 and 35 years can take part in the event in which competitions are held at the taluk, district, and State levels. The taluk-level competitions in Salem district begun on Sunday, including athletics, volleyball, and street cricket.
The competitions will be held in all 20 blocks in the district, at CSI Higher Secondary School and government higher secondary schools in Fort, Mallur, Nadupatti, Vazhapadi, Gangavalli, Pethanaickenpalayam, Attur, Ayothiapattinam, Kadayampatti, Magudanchavadi, Konganapuram, Jalakandapuram, Sankari, Navapatti, and Thalaivasal. The winners of the taluk-level will participate in the district-level competitions. The first three winners of the district-level contest will receive cash rewards of ₹6,000, ₹4,000, and ₹2,000, respectively, and the winners at the State level will receive ₹75,000, ₹50,000, and ₹25,000, respectively, Mr. Rajendran added.
In Namakkal district, District Collector Durgamoorthi inaugurated the sports festival on a private college premises at Pachal.
Published – January 25, 2026 06:41 pm IST
