CM Vijay unveils Dream Olympics 2036; Tamil Nadu outlines wide-ranging sports overhaul
Chief Minister Vijay announced the Dream Olympics 2036 scheme on Thursday at a felicitation ceremony for Tamil Nadu Asian Games medallists at The Leela Palace in Chennai, setting out a programme to identify and nurture athletes capable of winning Olympic and Paralympic medals. The initiative centres on locating young talent and bringing them into a state-run development pathway.
A statewide talent-identification drive for children aged between eight and 18 will form the foundation of the scheme, with the objective of finding promising athletes in every district and integrating them into a structured sports development system. The state has proposed establishing 10 Olympic training centres and plans a flagship Olympic city to provide high-performance training facilities and prepare athletes for elite competition.
“The stadiums that were built during J. Jayalalithaa’s time are very old. We need to build good infrastructure and rehabilitation centres. There is no centre for physically challenged sportspersons. Our priority is to build a sound ecosystem around sportspersons. With that in mind, we have increased the sports budget. There will be sports events for transgender athletes, and we plan to have sports hostels in all 38 districts. Our mission is to ensure Tamil Nadu wins medals at the 2028 Los Angeles and 2036 Olympics,” said Aadhav Arjuna, the State’s Minister for Public Works and Sports Development.
The government announced plans for a Motorsport City with facilities spanning Formula 4 to Formula 1 and said existing sporting infrastructure across multiple cities will be modernised. New sports hostels and improved training equipment are to be introduced as part of the upgrade.
Financial and logistical assistance for athletes will be expanded, including air travel allowances for those participating in national competitions, and funding under several existing sports development schemes will be increased. The state has revised its rewards for Olympic and Paralympic medal-winners to Rs 5 crore for gold, Rs 3 crore for silver and Rs 2 crore for bronze.
Athletes who secure qualification for the Olympics or Paralympics will receive Rs 15 lakh, while those qualifying for the Asian Games, Para Asian Games or Commonwealth Games will be eligible for a special incentive of Rs 7 lakh. The Elite category of the state’s athlete support system will now include 60 athletes.
The Mission International Medals Scheme (MIMS) will cover 175 beneficiaries with the incentive raised to Rs 15 lakh, and the Champions Development Scheme (CDS) will extend support to 275 athletes, each eligible for Rs 2 lakh. Medal-winners from the Asian Games, Para Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Para Commonwealth Games will be brought under the Dream Olympics Scheme, with each beneficiary to receive annual assistance of Rs 50 lakh, including a monthly stipend of Rs 1 lakh.