The Kerala school sports meet 2026 gets under way in Kozhikode today, Sunday, October 25, and the weather is the one thing nobody can control. Rain has been falling for two days, and the district is under a red alert. Organisers say the schedule and venues stay as planned.
This is the 68th edition of the State School Sports Meet. A total of 9,309 children will compete over seven days across 10 venues, with the new track at the National Institute of Technology in Chathamangalam as the main ground. For many of them, the meet is a first step toward the path walked by Kerala greats such as P.T. Usha, Shiny Wilson, Anju Bobby George and Ancy Sojan.
Chief Minister V.D. Satheesan will inaugurate the meet at 4 pm at the NIT ground. It is the third edition held in an Olympics-style format, with many sports brought together in a single event. Around 30 events, including swimming, cricket and football, were completed earlier so they would not clash with national championships.
A few things set this year’s meet apart. It carries an anti-drug message, and it includes inclusive athletics for children with special needs. Twenty-eight students from schools in the Gulf will also take part. Roughly 1,000 volunteers and 2,000 officials are working behind the scenes.
Kozhikode received 122 mm of rain over Friday and Saturday, and the forecast offers little relief for the next two days. Temporary stands have been put up at the NIT ground, and a catering team led by Pazhayidom Namboothiri will cook non-vegetarian meals for 25,000 children every day.
The opening ceremony will be presided over by Minister N. Shamsudheen, with opposition leader Pinarayi Vijayan also expected. P.T. Usha, president of the Indian Olympic Association, will light the ceremonial flame. About 4,000 athletes will join the march-past, and around 3,000 students will perform cultural programmes.
The Chief Minister’s Trophy, made with 117.5 sovereigns of gold, will arrive in Kozhikode in a procession at 9 am. The meet closes on October 31 at 4 pm, with Minister Ramesh Chennithala inaugurating the ceremony and Anju Bobby George as chief guest.
