Olympian Manuel Frederick inaugurates the campaign seeking construction of a sports stadium with state-of-the art facilities adjacent to the Kannur International Airport.Kannur: A mass signature campaign to raise the demand for a multi-purpose green field stadium in Kannur district was launched on Monday.
Olympian Manuel Frederick and renowned magician Gopinath Muthukad inaugurated the campaign seeking construction of a sports stadium with state-of-the art facilities adjacent to the Kannur International Airport, the state's second greenfield airport coming up at Mattannur.
The campaign was organized under the aegis of Malayala Manorama.
Lack of proper infrastructure for sports has been a bane for Kannur, which has produced eleven Olympians apart from several top-notch cricket, football and volleyball players.
Malayala Manorama put forth the suggestion to construct a multi-purpose stadium in the district based on the outcome of a public opinion poll.
Multi-purposes stadiums, built in compliance with the requirements established by the FIFA, world football's governing body, and the International Cricket Council (ICC), are used mainly to host football and cricket matches.
It requires around 35 acres of land to develop the proposed stadium at an estimated cost of Rs 350 crore.
Manuel Frederick, who was a member of the Indian hockey team which won the bronze medal at the Munich Olympics in 1972, said the state needed more modern facilities to improve standards in sports.
He called upon the state government to actively pursue reforms in the sector and initiate action to improve the existing facilities.
Hundreds of people from different walks of life, including prominent personalities from political, sports, social and cultural fields, attended the function.
