The dinner was hosted at Lokesh’s Undavalli residence on Friday night, where athletes shared their experiences, challenges, and suggestions to improve sports infrastructure and athlete development in the state. The meeting also focused on creating better training opportunities and long-term support systems for sportspersons.

During the interaction, several athletes recalled that Andhra Pradesh once had highly qualified coaches and a Centre of Excellence in Guntur established during the previous NDA government under N. Chandrababu Naidu. They pointed out that many coaches were removed after the change in government in 2019, affecting the state’s sporting ecosystem.

Responding to their concerns, Lokesh said government policies should remain focused on long-term development regardless of political changes. He announced that the state is working to bring internationally acclaimed coaches and establish a world-class Sports Centre of Excellence to provide advanced training for athletes.

Lokesh revealed that JSW has come forward to partner with the Andhra Pradesh government in developing world-class sports infrastructure. He said the framework for the project is currently being prepared. Drawing inspiration from Australia’s Griffith University, where academics and sports training are integrated through athlete-friendly curricula, Lokesh said Andhra Pradesh also aims to build a modern sports education ecosystem.

The minister said the government is committed to strengthening sports training and education across the state. He appreciated the Andhra Cricket Association for promoting multiple sports alongside cricket and said the government plans to develop sports arenas in every district to encourage wider participation.

Highlighting recent initiatives, Lokesh said the government introduced a three percent reservation for sportspersons in the latest DSC teacher recruitment, marking a significant step to encourage young athletes. He added that the government is implementing sports development plans from the grassroots level and providing special support for women athletes.

He also noted that a stand at the Visakhapatnam Cricket Stadium has been named after former India women’s cricket captain Mithali Raj in recognition of her contribution to Indian cricket. The ‘No Bag Day’ initiative introduced in government schools every Saturday is also helping students explore sports based on their interests, he added.

During the discussion, Indian badminton star PV Sindhu suggested that Andhra Pradesh should adopt global best practices in sports science. She highlighted how South Korea uses robotic technology to train archers and stressed the importance of sports injury recovery centres, which are currently available only at a few locations in India.

Athletes also informed the minister that Indian athletes have broken 26 national records this year. Lokesh congratulated them and encouraged greater adoption of artificial intelligence in sports training. Sharing his observations from Singapore Sports College, he said AI is being effectively used to analyse bowling techniques and monitor player performance. He added that AI is already being used to assess the health and fitness of party cadre during training programmes and said similar technology could benefit athletes.

The dinner was attended by several accomplished sportspersons, including PV Sindhu, Satwiksairaj Rankireddy, Jyothika Sri, Bhavani Karthik, Venkat Ramireddy, R. Swathi, Bhavani Yadav, Kusuma Ravada, Ganesh Maniratnam, Rashmi, Mallala Anusha, M. Sirisha, Kunja Rajitha, Yukta Sri and Teerthu Samadev.

In another major announcement, the Andhra Pradesh government released ₹2.23 crore to support the training of 18 athletes selected for the Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Para Commonwealth Games this year. Lokesh assured that additional financial assistance would be provided whenever required and urged the athletes to bring home international medals and enhance Andhra Pradesh’s reputation on the global sporting stage.

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