Mangaluru: The 81st All India Inter-University Athletics Championship will be held from January 4 to January 7 at Moodbidri near Mangaluru in Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka.

Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Anurag Thakur will inaugurate the championship on January 4 at Swaraj Maidan, Mangalore University Registrar C.K. Kishore Kumar informed reporters at Moodbidri. Over 400 universities, more than 2,000 athletes and 1,000 sports officers are expected to participate.

The championship is being jointly organised by Association of Indian Universities (AIU), Mangalore University and Alva’s Education Foundation (AEF), Moodbidri.

Karnataka Sports Minister Narayana Gowda, Dakshina Kannada MP and BJP State president Nalin Kumar Kateel, Minister for Energy, Kannada and Culture V. Sunil Kumar, Moodbidri MLA K. Umanath Kotian, former Minister Abhayachandra Jain, Joint Secretary of Association of Indian Universities Baljit Singh Sekhon, and Mangalore University Vice Chancellor P.S. Yadapadithaya will be attending the inaugural session.

Over 100 teams depicting the art and culture of India would participate in a procession that will start from the Hanuman temple in Moodbidri.

The championship will have 23 events. Online registration was made available for the participants. The four-day event would see national and international level sportspersons in action. Modern photo-finish technology will be set up at the venue. Free food, accommodation and transport facilities for athletes and officials has been arranged. Winners would be selected for the Khelo India and International University athletics meet, said Mr. Kumar.

Alva’s Education Foundation Chairman M. Mohan Alva said the foundation is organising the event for the fifth time. It would sponsor the entire cash prize to winners at the event.

While the Champion of the Meet would get ₹50,000 cash prize, the first runner-up would get ₹30,000 and the second runner-up would get ₹20,000. Those setting new records would get ₹25,000 cash prize while the first three winners in each event would get ₹25,000, ₹15,000 and ₹10,000 cash prize, Dr. Alva said.

University Physical Education Director Gerald Santosh D’Souza was present at the media briefing.