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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a two-day visit to Chennai on Thursday and Friday. He will inaugurate the 44th Chess Olympiad in the Nehru Indoor Stadium in the city today evening. This will be his second visit to the city in a gap of two months. On May 26, he inaugurated a slew of projects at a function in the city.
The prestigious Chess Olympiad, which has been organised since 1927, is being hosted in India for the first time, and in Asia after 30 years. With 187 countries participating, this will be the largest participation in any Chess Olympiad. India is fielding its biggest ever contingent in the competition, comprising 30 players across six teams.
“This is a special tournament and it is our honour that it is being held in India, that too in Tamil Nadu, which has a glorious association with chess,” the Prime Minister tweeted on the Olympiad and his participation at the inaugural function.
Here is the story of how Chennai bagged the Chess Olympiad hosting rights.
The Prime Minister had launched the first-ever Chess Olympiad Torch Relay at the Indira Gandhi National Stadium in New Delhi on June 19, 2022. The torch travelled to 75 iconic locations across the country over a period of 40 days, traversing close to 20,000 km and culminating in Mahabalipuram, before heading over to the FIDE Headquarters.
On Friday morning, the Prime Minister will attend the 42nd Convocation of Anna University. During the programme, he will award gold medals and certificates to 69 students.
Anna University was established on September 4, 1978. Named after CN Annadurai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, it has 13 Constituent Colleges, 494 Affiliated Colleges spread over Tamil Nadu and 3 Regional Campuses – Tirunelveli, Madurai and Coimbatore.
Nearly 22,000 police personnel will be deployed in the city during the Prime Minister’s visit, with the Greater Chennai Police throwing a five-tier security arrangement.
The Prime Minister will arrive at Chennai airport by an IAF aircraft from Ahmedabad at 4.45 pm. From the airport, he will be flown by helicopter to the INS Adyar helipad. He will then travel by road to Nehru Stadium at Periamet, where he will inaugurate the Chess Olympiad.
After the programme, he will proceed to Raj Bhavan where he will stay overnight. On Friday morning, he will take part in the 42nd convocation of Anna University, before leaving the city from Chennai airport.
Elaborate traffic arrangements have been for the Prime Minister’s travel from INS Adyar to the Nehru Stadium, and from the stadium to Raj Bhavan in Guindy.
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