Vijay announces plans for Olympic City, motorsport hub with F1 push in Chennai
Tamil Nadu is stepping up its sporting ambitions, with Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announcing plans to establish a world-class Olympic City and a dedicated motorsports city in Chennai.
The announcements were made by Vijay in the Tamil Nadu Assembly on Thursday as the state seeks to strengthen sports infrastructure, develop elite athletes and boost its prospects of hosting major international sporting events.
Olympic City to feature high-performance facilities
The proposed Tamil Nadu Olympic City will be developed by the Tamil Nadu Sports Development Authority and will feature world-class sports arenas along with state-of-the-art sporting equipment.
The facility will include a High-Performance Training Centre, as well as dedicated centres for Sports Science and Sports Medicine.
It will also have modern residential infrastructure, including accommodation for athletes and coaches.
"World class, Olympics standard infra and training structure with residential facility will be built. This will help Chennai host international events and to churn out Olympians," Vijay said in the Assembly.
The integrated sports hub is expected to provide athletes from Tamil Nadu with access to advanced training, scientific support and other facilities aimed at helping them win medals at the Olympic Games and other international competitions.
Dedicated motorsport city planned in Chennai
Alongside the Olympic City, the Chief Minister announced plans for a dedicated motorsports city in Chennai, which will host Formula 1-4 racing events.
The project will also focus on identifying young motorsport talent and providing them with opportunities for training and competitive racing at national and international levels.
"An Olympic city will be set up in Chennai. A motor sports city will also be set up in Chennai to host Formula 1 races. The talents of youth in motor sports will be identified, and training and racing opportunities will be provided to create national and international level champions," Vijay said.
F1 plans could boost tourism and industry
The proposed motorsports hub is also expected to create wider economic opportunities for Tamil Nadu.
According to Vijay, world-class car racing arenas could help promote tourism, specialised vehicle manufacturing, employment and economic development in the state.
The announcement comes amid renewed efforts at the national level to bring Formula 1 racing back to India.
India targets F1 return by 2028
In June, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS) constituted a task force to monitor motorsports as part of efforts to revive Formula 1 racing in India.
A MYAS source had earlier told ANI that the government was aiming to bring F1 back to India by the end of 2028.
"We will try to bring back F1 in India by 2028. For this, we created a task force which monitors motor sports in the country and submits its report to the Ministry," the source said.
With its proposed Olympic and motorsports cities, Chennai could now emerge as a key contender in India's renewed push to host major international sporting events.
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