850 government school students compete in Project Champion Athletics Games
Hyderabad Runners Society organised the Project Champion Athletics Games 2026 at B R Ambedkar Stadium, BHEL, with 850 government school students competing. The initiative, launched in 2023, now covers 14 schools, promoting physical literacy and active lifestyles among children
Hyderabad: Hyderabad Runners Society (HRS) conducted the Project Champion Athletics Games 2026 at the B R Ambedkar Stadium, BHEL, bringing together 850 students from government schools for an inter-school athletics competition.
Project Champion is the flagship social initiative of the Hyderabad Runners Society, aimed at building physical literacy and active lifestyle habits among government school children.
Project Champion provides government school children with 30–40 minutes of exercises and games where there are no Physical Training Teachers, to promote movement and active lifestyles.
Launched in 2023 with 5 schools and 2,800 students, the initiative has grown to cover 14 government schools, positively impacting over 6,100 students, including 2,525 female students.
The Athletics Games 2026 marked a key milestone for the programme, providing students with a competitive platform to experience structured sports events in a professional stadium environment.
The annual sports meet was planned and executed by Mr Vijay Yargal, Outreach Lead, Hyderabad Runners Society.
Technical officials from the Hyderabad District Athletics Team supported the conduct of events and finalisation of results, assisted by Hyderabad Runners Society volunteers and staff.
The event commenced with a student march past, followed by flag hoisting by Mr Arun Kumar Kaliappan. The ceremonial torch was lit by Mr Ram Katikineni, Mr Ashish Bhojania, Mr Anil Kuppa and Dr Madhumathi Sanjay, symbolising inclusion, discipline and aspiration through sport.
The athletics competition featured a range of track and field events for both primary and high school athletes, including the 80m sprint for primary school students, the 100m sprint for high school students, the 200m relay run at the primary level, and the 400m relay run for high school participants, alongside field events such as the throw event and the long jump.
All events were conducted in a structured and inclusive format, encouraging participation across age groups.
Students were felicitated with medals by Mr Prashant Morparia and Mr Ajit Mishra, along with Hyderabad Runners Society core members Mr Abhijeet Madnurkar and Mr Sudhakar Silveru, celebrating both achievement and participation.
Mr Arun Kumar Kaliappan, President of Hyderabad Runners Society, said: “Project Champion is about more than just sport. It is about giving government school children access to movement, confidence and opportunity. Seeing 850 students compete with such energy today reaffirms our belief that physical literacy can truly change lives.”
