Sport is not just an extra-curricular activity or some sort of a hobby; sports are a way of life. ‘Every champion was once a contender that refused to give up’ is a saying that reiterates the amount of perseverance required to reach unprecedented heights in sports. The 12^th edition of Anna Sports Fest, held between 12^th and 14^th February, 2016, was an exemplary of the saying that ensured that all participants sported a smile.

          The event witnessed a turnout of more than 3000 students all over the state of Tamil Nadu and beyond, as the festival recorded the maximum number of participants in its history. With a lot of revamp from the usual structure, this edition witnessed 17 games that were conducted in 11 disciplines for both men and women. Cricket was included in the procedures for the first time and the organizers – Harees (third year Manufacturing), Nandha Gopal (final year Industrial) and Prabhu Kiran (M.E Power Systems) – along with the Sports Secretaries of CEG, ACT and MIT, made sure that all was well with the proceedings.

          All games, viz. cricket, football, basketball, kho-kho, handball, volleyball, kabbadi, ball badminton, hockey, table tennis and badminton received overwhelming reception, with colleges from other cities coming in bulk to try their luck for laurels. While table tennis and badminton for both men and women were conducted at the MIT campus, the other events were held at CEG campus.

          The other highlights of this edition were the launch of the official website exclusively for the festival, accommodation facilities to the participants who were in need of it, and the food stalls set up near the venues. “We have definitely gone top notch this year, with the quantity of people turning up, and the quality of arrangements being provided to the participants”, said an elated Ra Gowtham, Sports Secretary – CEG campus, adding that the success of Anna Sports Fest 2016 wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the sponsors, particularly Habicco Sports, and also the media partners – Zee TV, Thanthi TV and Jaya TV.

List of winners:

• Badminton (men):

1. Agni College of Engineering
2. Rajalakshmi Engineering College
3. Madras Institute of Technology

• Badminton (women):

1. College of Engineering Guindy
2. Madras Institute of Technology
3. Dhanalakshmi College of Engineering

• Table Tennis (men):

1. College of Engineering Guindy
2. Loyola ICAM
3. Easwari Engineering College

• Table Tennis (women):

1. Madras Institute of Technology
2. Dhanalakshmi Engineering College
3. Indira Gandhi College of Engineering and Technology

• Handball (men):

1. Anna A
2. Jerusalem College of Engineering
3. KCG College of Technology

• Hockey:

1. Anna A
2. KSK College of Engineering
3. Indian Institute of Technology – Madras

• Basketball (women):

1. Anna A
2. Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering
3. Rajalakshmi College of Engineering

• Basketball (men):

1. SKP Engineering College
2. Anna A
3. Adiparasakthi College of Engineering

• Kho-Kho (women):

1. Anna
2. Idhaya Engineering College
3. Vel Tech University

• Kho-Kho (men):

1. Anna A
2. Anna B
3. Vel Tech University

• Kabbadi (men):

1. St. Joseph’s College of Engineering
2. Dhanalakshmi College of Engineering
3. Jaya College of Engineering

• Volleyball (men):

1. Mohammed Sadak College of Engineering
2. KCG Institute of Technology
3. RMK Engineering College

• Volleyball (women):

1. CEG A
2. A C Tech
3. CEG B

• Cricket:

1. Meenakshi College of Engineering
2. Sri Venkateshwara College of Engineering
3. Anna University

• Football:

1. Jeppiar College of Engineering
2. Rajalakshmi Engineering College
3. SRM Easwari Engineering College

• Ball Badminton (men):

1. Anna A
2. Rajalakshmi Engineering College
3. Anna B

• Ball Badminton (women):

1. Anna B
2. Savitha Engineering College
3. Anna A

It is also noteworthy to mention the website launch ceremony that took place on 13^th January, 2016, with Dr. Selladurai, Chairman of the Anna University Sports Board, launching it officially in the presence of Mr. Sukumar, the Director of Physical Education, and Mr. Gowtham, Mr. Vinoth and Mr. Ehab Abdullah, the Sports Secretaries of the CEG, ACT and MIT campuses, respectively.