The Chief Minister’s Trophy games began as modest state games with an ₹8 crore budget. For the 2023 edition the government sanctioned ₹50.86 crore and drew 3.7 lakh competitors. The policy notes show what the money pays for and where the medals went.
The numbers
The government sanctioned ₹50.86 crore for the 2023 Chief Minister’s Trophy games, which drew 3,71,354 sportspersons to district and regional rounds across 15 disciplines and a record 27,000 to the state finals, according to the Youth Welfare and Sports Development policy note for 2024-25. Divided by the district-level turnout, that is about ₹1,370 a participant.
A decade earlier the same games ran on far less. The 2015-16 policy note listed ₹8.09 crore for competitions and prize money, and the 2018-19 and 2021-22 notes ₹8.19 crore a year. The sixfold jump came with a change in what the games are for: from a competition for selected athletes to a mass event open to students, the public, government staff and para-athletes.
From state games to a mass event
In its older form the Chief Minister’s Trophy was the state games, with state-level prizes of ₹1 lakh, ₹75,000 and ₹50,000 for the top three in individual events. Those state prizes are unchanged in the 2024-25 note. What changed was the base. The 2023-24 policy note reports 4,57,403 registrations for the edition it describes, with 3,71,351 taking part in district competitions across all 38 districts. The 2024-25 note gives 3,71,354; the difference of three is in the notes themselves.
Registration exceeded participation by about 86,000, a drop-off of roughly a fifth (3,71,351 of 4,57,403 took part). The notes do not say why, but a free online registration naturally draws more names than turn up on the day.
How the prize money is laddered
| Level and event | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| District, individual | ₹3,000 | ₹2,000 | ₹1,000 |
| District, doubles | ₹6,000 | ₹4,000 | ₹2,000 |
| District, football (team) | ₹54,000 | ₹36,000 | ₹18,000 |
| State, individual | ₹1,00,000 | ₹75,000 | ₹50,000 |
| State, doubles | ₹1,50,000 | ₹1,12,500 | ₹75,000 |
| State, football and hockey (team) | ₹9,00,000 | ₹6,75,000 | ₹4,50,000 |
| State, kabaddi, volleyball, basketball (team) | ₹6,00,000 | ₹4,50,000 | ₹3,00,000 |
| State, para team events | ₹3,00,000 | ₹2,25,000 | ₹1,50,000 |
Source: Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department, Policy Note 2024-25, Chief Minister’s Trophy prize tables; the policy note’s team-event layout is partly ambiguous
Team prizes are paid per team, so a squad that wins a state football title shares ₹9 lakh. The ladder is steep. A district individual winner takes ₹3,000; a state champion in the same event takes ₹1 lakh, about 33 times more. The structure rewards reaching the state finals, which only about 7% of district-level competitors did in 2023 (27,000 of 3,71,354).
It’s often said The Chief Minister’s Trophy is a school sports meet.
The record shows The 2024-25 policy note lists separate competitions for school students, college students, the general public, government employees and persons with disabilities, with para team events such as kabaddi for the hearing impaired and adapted volleyball for the visually impaired.
What ₹8 crore bought before
The earlier budgets went mostly on prizes. The 2018-19 note states that prize money for 2017-18 totalled ₹6.06 crore for 20,196 beneficiaries, about ₹3,000 each, inside a ₹8.19 crore sanction. The note’s line items do not add up neatly to that total, so the figure should be read as the department’s own summary.
By contrast, the 2023 sanction of ₹50.86 crore covers a much larger operation: venues and officials in 38 districts, transport and accommodation for 27,000 state finalists, and prizes at both levels. The notes do not break the ₹50.86 crore into those parts.
Gold medals won by Chennai at the 2023 state finals, out of 113 in all; Chengalpattu came second with 55 medals and Coimbatore third with 52, according to the 2024-25 policy note.
Chennai’s lead in the medal table
| District | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chennai | 61 | 33 | 19 | 113 |
| Chengalpattu | 18 | 19 | 18 | 55 |
| Coimbatore | 15 | 13 | 24 | 52 |
| Tiruvallur | 11 | 11 | 10 | 32 |
| Erode | 10 | 6 | 8 | 24 |
Source: Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department, Policy Note 2024-25, Chief Minister’s Trophy 2023 state-level medal tally (top five)
Chennai won more than twice as many medals as the next district, and the three districts around it (Chennai, Chengalpattu and Tiruvallur) took 200 medals between them. That concentration reflects where SDAT’s best facilities, academies and coaches are. It also means that a large share of the state-level prize money flows to the capital region. The 2023-24 note lists the 15 disciplines as including kabaddi and silambam, the Tamil stick-fighting art, alongside athletics, swimming and the team games.
How the cost compares with other state events
Per head, the Chief Minister’s Trophy is the most expensive of the state’s mass events but far cheaper than elite programmes. The Arignar Anna cycle race and long-distance run each cost ₹38 lakh, about ₹240 and ₹268 per participant, according to the 2024-25 note. Spread across 38 districts, the 2023 sanction comes to about ₹1.34 crore a district (₹50.86 crore divided by 38).
The 2021-22 note also listed ₹25.05 crore for village games, a separate rural competition run alongside the older ₹8 crore Chief Minister’s Trophy. The policy notes do not say whether the village games continued once the trophy expanded.
Later editions
The games have continued since. The Tiruvallur district administration records the inauguration of the 2025 games in the district. The policy notes we could open do not yet report the budget, turnout or medal table for the 2024 or later editions, so the 2023 edition remains the latest with full official figures. Until a later note reports them, anyone comparing editions should treat the 2023 sanction, turnout and medal table as the benchmark.
What this means for you
- Registration is open to students, the general public, government employees and para-athletes, in separate categories.
- District winners earn modest prizes; the real money is at the state finals, where an individual gold pays ₹1 lakh.
- If your discipline is a team sport, check the team prize tables, which are much larger and shared.
- Results and prize lists are published by SDAT; keep certificates, which can count for sports quota and scheme applications.
What to watch
Pending
The next policy note’s account of the 2024 and 2025 editions, which will show whether the ₹50.86 crore scale has held.
Pending
Any revision of state prize money, unchanged at ₹1 lakh for an individual gold since at least 2015-16.
Checked against official sources on 23 October 2026. Figures and rules change; confirm on the linked official pages before relying on them.
Sources
- Policy Note 2024-25, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department (Demand No. 49), Government of Tamil Nadu
- Policy Note 2023-24, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department (Demand No. 49), Government of Tamil Nadu
- Policy Note 2021-22, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu
- Policy Note 2018-19, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu
- Policy Note 2015-16, Youth Welfare and Sports Development Department, Government of Tamil Nadu
- Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Trophy 2025 Games, Tiruvallur District Administration
