Tamil Nadu government to establish Talent Research Wing for meritorious sportspersons: Minister Aadhav Arjuna

Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports Development Aadhav Arjuna, on Tuesday (May 19, 2026), said the State government is taking steps to establish a Talent Research Wing to identify talented sportspersons in Tamil Nadu pointing out that financial constraints should not be a barrier for sportspersons to achieve success.

Mr. Arjuna, who held a meeting with officials of the Sports Development department at the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai, said to give special attention to school students who excel in sports but come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The Talent Research Wing will identify such students purely based on merit and without any recommendations.

According to an official release, Mr. Arjuna said Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay has been formulating various schemes keeping in mind the future needs of the State.

During the review meeting, officials held discussions with the Minister regarding the infrastructure works to be taken up by the Sports Department during 2026-27, implementation of the 3% reservation for sportspersons in government departments, schemes to provide incentives to medal winners in national and international competitions, improvements required in sports hostels, and financial assistance schemes for athletes.

The Minister instructed officials to ensure all basic needs of sportspersons were promptly addressed. He will carry out inspections in all districts to assess sports infrastructure and other facilities. He also interacted with athletes and sportspersons at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

During the inspection, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Secretary Sajjansingh R. Chavan, Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu Member Secretary J. Meganatha Reddy, and other officials were present.