Thiruvananthapuram: The State School Sports Festival has begun in Thiruvananthapuram today, after a two-year gap due to the pandemic. The four-day event is being organised at the Chandrasekaran Nair Stadium and the University Stadium here.

Palakkad district won the first gold medal in the event.
The matches under various categories began at 7 am and will end by 5 pm today. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will inaugurate the event, which will be flagged off by Director of Public Education K Jeevan Babu. Former school meet star Olympian Y Muhammad Anas will also attend the inaugural programme.

The competition includes 98 events in male/ female sub-junior, junior and senior categories. In a first, the school meet will also organise events at night this time.

According to officials, 2,737 athletes, who have achieved top three places in various districts' championships, will take part in the event.

Kite Victor's TV channel as well as web and mobile platforms will telecast the event.

Gold medal for best two players
The best two players in the festival will receive gold medals from Malayala Manorama. The winners will be selected by an expert committee after evaluating the athletes' performances in the event. The medals will be distributed on December 6.