Hyderabad Runners Society (HRS) conducted on Sunday 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 an initiative to provide kids of government schools where there are no Physical Training Teachers available, with 30-40 minutes of exercises and games, 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 as beneficiaries. The annual sports meet was planned and executed by Vijay Yargal, Outreach Lead, Hyderabad Runners Society. Technical officials from Hyderabad District Athletics Team supported the conduct of events and finalization of results, assisted by Hyderabad Runners Society’s volunteers and staff team. 

The event commenced with a student march past, followed by flag hoisting by Arun Kumar Kaliappan. The ceremonial torch was lit by Ram Katikineni, Ashish Bhojania, Anil Kuppa and Dr Madhumathi Sanjay. The athletics competition featured a range of track and field events for both primary and high school athletes, including 80m sprint for primary school students, 100m sprint for high school students, 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. 

Arun Kumar Kaliappan, President of Hyderabad Runners Society mentioned that Project Champion was more than just sport and was about giving government school children access to movement, confidence and opportunity.