Hyderabad, March 28 Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Saturday that the state government has drawn up plans to develop a sports stadium at Gachibowli here to international standards to compete for hosting the Olympics in 2034.
Reddy, who inaugurated the first edition of the Telangana Legislators' Sports and Cultural Meet-2026 at the L B Stadium here, wore a football jersey and played the game with young players.
"We have prepared plans to develop world-class sports facilities with Rs 700 crore at the 70-acre sports ground in Gachibowli, so that the Olympics can be hosted there in 2034. We will start the work there in three months. The Telangana government will make decisions to hold international competitions in the Gachibowli grounds in three years," he said.
He also announced plans to develop the hockey sports ground at Begumpet and the historic L B Stadium on a grand scale.
Recalling that Hyderabad had hosted international sports events, including the Afro-Asian Games and the World Military Games from 1999 to 2007, he criticized the previous BRS government for neglecting sports.
The state government has adopted a sports policy to promote sportspersons at the grassroots, he said.
Highlighting that the state government is encouraging sportspersons in a big way, he urged youth to take an interest in sports as it will also help their future prospects.
Reddy took exception to BRS criticism against the state government hosting football legend Lionel Messi during his recent India tour.
Taking a swipe at BRS, he asked if the opposition party would have been happy if the Mexican drug lord (El Mencho) who was killed by security forces should have been invited to the state.
He also criticized the BRS for staying away from the legislators' sports events.
The government is promoting sports as it wants youth to stay away from drugs and other bad habits, he said.
Reddy, an avid sports lover and football player, had played a friendly football match with Messi when the latter visited Hyderabad in December last year.