KOCHI: The 55th edition of the most celebrated athletics championship for schools in the country - the Kerala State Schools Athletics Championship - got off the floor with a colourful inaugural ceremony at the Maharaja’s College Stadium here on Thursday.Ports and Excise Minister K Babu declared the four-day meet open and took the salute during the athletes’ marchpast. Alappuzha led the 14 districts in the alphabetical order with hosts and defending champions Ernakulam bringing up the rear.The members of the Idukki contingent had posters reading ‘Save District With New Dam’ clipped on their shirts. Later, Olympian Mercy Kuttan handed over the games torch brought from the SRV School to athletes Jijin Vijayan, of Mar Basil HSS, and Melby T Manuel, of St George’s HSS, who carried the torch along the track for a couple of hundred metres before lighting the games cauldron.Glodia K John of Mar Basil took the solemn oath on behalf of 2600 athletes while Minister K Babu promised that the government would look into the issue of poor salaries to a section of the physical education teachers in the state, along with implementing new measures to improve the physical fitness and sporting abilities of children during his inaugural address.Legendary athlete P T Usha also spoke on the occasion while Mayor Tony Chammany, MLAs Hibi Eden, Dominic Presentation, T U Kuruvilla and Kerala State Sports Council president Padmini Selvan were among those who attended. Sports Minister K B Ganesh Kumar was conspicuous by his absence.
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