Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 17 (PTI) Kerala Minister V Sivankutty on Friday said that the Indian martial art 'Kalaripayattu', which originated in the southern state, will be included as a competitive event in the next state school sports festival.

In a Facebook post, he stated that the General Education Department would revise the festival manual to include the martial arts as a competitive event.

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The state General Education Minister mentioned that the department was working to include 'Kalaripayattu' as a competitive event for both boys and girls in the under-14, 17, and 19 age categories at the state school sports festival to be held in Thiruvananthapuram next year.

Sivankutty also noted that Kerala demanded to include 'Kalaripayattu' in the National Games, but criticised the stance of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) on the issue, calling it "deserving of protest".

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The minister claimed that IOA President P T Usha, who is also a Malayali, has been "avoiding the issue".

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