The Kerala School Sports Meet, previously known as Kerala State School Athletics and Games were inaugurated in 1956 by R. Sankar, the then Chief Minister of Kerala. This initiative was established to promote athletics and physical education among school students across the state.
Each year, over 40 sporting events are held, culminating in the announcement of state champions for each event, along with district and school champions. Participants are awarded gold, silver, and bronze medals, celebrating their achievements and fostering a spirit of competition and excellence.
Background The Kerala State School Athletic Games is an event launched by the Kerala Government to promote sports and physical education among school students. Its goal is to build a strong sports culture by encouraging student participation in various athletic events, helping to identify and nurture young talent. The program organizes competitions by age group, offering a wide range of events, from athletics to team sports. Schools compete at district, sub-district and state levels. In collaboration with the Kerala State Sports Council and the Department of General Education, the initiative not only promotes physical fitness but also emphasizes teamwork and discipline, supporting the overall development of students.
Olympics-model The Kerala Education Department launched the inaugural "School Olympics" in 2024, an event that aims to revolutionize school sports in the state. Scheduled to take place in Kochi from November 4 to 11, this historic sports meet will feature students from across Kerala competing in 39 diverse sports, including athletics, team sports, and inclusive sports designed for disabled athletes. This initiative marks a first of its kind in India, emphasizing the importance of sports in the educational landscape. The winning district will be awarded a 3-kilogram gold trophy, named in honour of the Chief Minister, although logistical challenges may delay its presentation until next year. The opening ceremony at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium (Kochi) promises to be a vibrant celebration, incorporating cultural performances inspired by the Olympic spirit. Competitions will be held at 19 different venues throughout Kochi, with the inclusion of students from Kerala schools in the Gulf states for the first time. This revamped event signifies a significant evolution from the traditional focus on athletics in school sports meets, as the Public Education Department has meticulously planned a torch relay featuring international athletes, a grand march-past, a theme song, and a sports-cultural festival. The new School Olympics aims to become a landmark event in Kerala's education system, promoting the integration of sports with academics and the arts, thereby fostering a holistic approach to student development.
Students from the Gulf region will also participate in the Kerala State School Olympics in Kochi. The Director of Public Education issued a circular inviting non-resident students to take part in the event. This marks the first time that students from Gulf countries have been invited to a state government-sponsored sports event. The team from the United Arab Emirates will compete as the 15th district in the games, adding international dimension to the competition.
However, on 22 October 2024, the Education Department decided to remove the term 'Olympics' from the title of the school sports festival. This decision stems from regulations that prohibit the use of the word 'Olympics' without authorization from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Initially, the government had named the event a major sports festival, but upon realizing that 'Olympics' is a registered trademark protected under the Olympic Charter, they retracted the name. Thus, the event will now officially be called the "Kerala School Sports Meet". All future promotional materials and official documents related to the event will reflect this updated name. Moving forward, it will be referred to as the "Kerala School Kayika Mela in Olympic Model Kochi-24", aligning with the revised branding while maintaining the essence of a large-scale sports festival.
Format The 2024 Kerala School Sports Meet was modeled after the Olympic Games, including opening and closing ceremonies similar to those of the Olympics. Athletes who secured top positions received medals modeled after the Olympic design, along with cash awards and certificates.
The events are grouped into three main categories: Athletics, Aquatics, and Games. Participants, both boys and girls, competes in age divisions—Sub-Junior, Junior, and Senior. Points are awarded as follows: 5 points for gold, 3 points for silver, and 1 point for bronze. Trophies and medals are given to the top three athletes in each event, with additional recognition for overall champions in Athletics, Aquatics, and Games. The overall champion district is determined by adding up the points across all events and divisions. Participating Districts / Regions Alappuzha Ernakulam Idukki Kannur Kasargod Kollam Kottayam Kozhikode Malappuram Palakkad Pathanamthitta Thiruvananthapuram Thrissur Wayanad United Arab Emirates (Malayali diaspora)
Selection of participants The Education Department manages the selection process for the Kerala School Sports Meet, ensuring that rules and regulations are followed at every level, from sub-district to state. The system aims to identify top athletes across the state, allowing them to progress from sub-district to district, and eventually to the state level.
Inclusivity In 2024, the Kerala School Sports Meet featured 1,800 disabled students who participated in 21 events. These included 3 team games and 18 athletic competitions. This was the first time that disabled students competed in the inclusive category at the state school sports festival. The events in this category included athletics, football, handball, and badminton.
Age categories Participants are divided into three main categories based on age: Under-14 (Sub-junior): Players must be born after January 1, 2011. Under-17 (Junior): Players must be born after January 1, 2008. Under-19 (Senior): Players must be born after January 1, 2006.
In addition to these categories, competitions are also held at lower levels for Kiddies, LP Kiddies, and LP Mini categories, for younger students.
Participation process Each revenue district is assigned a set number of participants for each sport to ensure fair competition. The number of athletes allowed per district is consistent for each event. In athletics, the competition includes 25 track and field events. Each district can send up to three participants per event, except for the relay events, which allow more athletes. In swimming, districts can send six participants for relays and three participants in individual events across 19 swimming events. For shooting, three participants are allowed per district in each of the three events. In archery, four participants can compete in each of the six events from each district. Tug of war (a traditional sport) allows a team of nine players, although the competition itself is for an eight-member team. The total body weight of the eight-member boys' team must not exceed 560 kg, while the girls' team has a limit of 440 kg.
Sport events As of 2024, the following sports events are held annually:
Aquatics Swimming Water polo Archery Athletics Badminton Ball badminton Baseball Basketball Boxing Chess Cricket Cross country Cycling Fencing Football Subroto Cup football Gymnastics Handball Hockey Judo Kabaddi Karate Kho kho Netball Powerlifting Roller skating Sepak takraw Shooting Softball Taekwondo Table tennis Tennis Tennikoit Throwball Tug of war Volleyball Weightlifting Wrestling Wushu Yoga
Medal table The following medal table is based on performances in Aquatics and Athletics events, with data and medal tallies recorded from 2011 onward. No competitions were held in 2020 and 2021 due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Athletic Events District-wise Medal Tally The following table displays the total number of medals earned by each district in athletic events. Rank District Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Ernakulam 274 242 201 717 2 Palakkad 272 244 205 721 3 Kozhikode 121 122 119 362 4 Thiruvananthapuram 73 81 94 248 5 Thrissur 63 59 56 178 6 Malappuram 62 93 92 247 7 Kottayam 45 64 68 177 8 Kannur 26 25 31 82 9 Alappuzha 23 27 45 95 10 Idukki 22 27 56 105 11 Kasargod 19 11 9 39 12 Kollam 13 12 20 45 13 Wayanad 10 21 23 54 14 Pathanamthitta 9 13 7 29
District-Wise Annual Champions (Athletic) Year Number of Events Districts (Top 3) Number of Medals awarded Best Performing School Number of Date & Location 2011 94 Ernakulam 278 85 28 32 25 Mar Basil Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 150 44 December 4 – 7, Ernakulam Palakkad 232 61 26 24 11 Kozhikode 76 23 8 6 9 2012 94 Palakkad 272 79 28 28 23 St. George's Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 111 33 December 4 – 7, Thiruvananthapuram Ernakulam 257 82 28 30 24 Kozhikode 84 26 10 8 8 2013 95 Ernakulam 251 79 28 24 27 St. George's Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 100 33 November 23 – 26, Ernakulam Palakkad 218 67 27 14 26 Kozhikode 110 32 11 12 9 2014 95 Ernakulam 289 81 33 28 20 St. George's Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 83 29 December 8 – 11, Thiruvananthapuram Palakkad 190 61 15 26 20 Kozhikode 156 48 16 17 15 2015 95 Ernakulam 241 71 25 28 18 Mar Basil Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 91 29 December 5 – 8, Kozhikode Palakkad 225 68 24 23 21 Kozhikode 130 34 16 9 9 2016 95 Palakkad 255 74 28 25 21 Mar Basil Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 107 35 December 3 – 6, Malappuram Ernakulam 247 75 24 31 20 Kozhikode 101 27 12 8 7 2017 95 Ernakulam 258 71 34 16 21 Mar Basil Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 75 21 October 20 – 23, Kottayam Palakkad 185 60 22 14 24 Kozhikode 109 34 8 20 6 2018 96 Ernakulam 253 76 30 26 20 St. George's Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 81 25 October 26 – 29, Thiruvananthapuram Palakkad 196 53 24 16 13 Thiruvananthapuram 101 31 10 11 10 2019 98 Palakkad 201 60 18 26 16 Mar Basil Higher Secondary School, Kothamangalam 62 20 November 15 – 18, Kannur Ernakulam 157 46 21 14 11 Kozhikode 123 39 14 7 18 2022 98 Palakkad 201 71 32 21 18 Ideal E. H. S. S. Kadakassery 66 20 December 3 – 6, Thiruvananthapuram Malappuram 149 44 13 17 14 Kozhikode 122 40 8 16 16 2023 98 Palakkad 266 67 28 27 12 Ideal E. H. S. S. Kadakassery 57 23 October 16 – 20, Thrissur Malappuram 168 55 13 22 20 Kozhikode 95 29 10 7 12 Kerala School Sports Meet 2024 39 Thiruvananthapuram 1935 541 227 150 164 G. V. Raja Sports School 268 68 November 4 – 11, Kochi Thrissur 848 244 80 65 99 Malappuram 824 292 64 90 138
Aquatic Events District-wise Medal Tally The following table displays the total number of medals earned by each district in aquatic events. Due to the unavailability of data for the events held in 2012 and 2018, those years have been excluded from the following information. Rank District Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Thiruvananthapuram 661 603 502 1766 2 Ernakulam 138 105 122 365 3 Thrissur 69 108 167 344 4 Kottayam 45 53 58 156 5 Palakkad 8 32 58 986 Kasargod 2 8 15 25 Kollam 2 1 2 5 7 Kozhikode 0 12 5 17 8 Kannur 0 6 7 13 9 Alappuzha 0 5 3 8 10 Malappuram 0 1 0 111 Idukki 0 0 0 0 Pathanamthitta 0 0 0 0 Wayanad 0 0 0 0
District-Wise Annual Champions (Aquatic)