the district collector is already learnt to have evinced interest in including sporting events in visakha utsav which is organised by ap tourism development corporation aptdc each year the district collector as well as the new principal secretary of ap tourism are interested in introducing water sports and other sporting activities at visakha utsav for saap is currently in talks with the district administration to include a whole gamut of water sports and competitions in visakha utsav for the first time to promote vizag as a sports tourism hub visakhapatnam while the participants can bring their own surfing boards we can provide them accommodation food and lucrative cash awards if they win the water sports tourneys said athletics coach and incharge visakhapatnam district sports development officer dsdo k anandalakshmi however the state government should also take care to bring back our sailing vessels and yachts fleet of hobby craft and laser which was sent to mumbai in 2008 for some national level competition but is still stuck in hyderabad vizag is the only place in ap with the potential to emerge as a professional water sports hub which is why the government should pay attention to this added smythe usually music and dance programmes are conducted at rk beach as part of the visakha utsav in addition to tour packages and exhibitions the swimming competition can be held in the aqua sports complex while a demo on lifesaving techniques cycling and long distance running are the other attractions being planned for sports enthusiasts said a saap official apart from water sports we plan to organise a skating event for a cause from vuda park to rk beach with skaters donning colourful tshirts with social messages the threeday visakha utsav which is slated to begin on january 23 2015 is all set to graduate into a sportier avatar if the sports authority of andhra pradesh saap has its way we would like to invite participants from all cities and states admitting that the district administration was interested in adding sporting activities to the cultural fest collector n yuvaraj said we are interested in including certain water sports this year to attract tourists but we are yet to chalk out the details of the venue and sports activities according to saap officials plans are afoot to include yachting surfing sea kayaking swimming as well as gymnastics skating long distance cycling and running events during the fest promoting sports would not only bring sports enthusiasts from across the country flocking to vizag during the visakha utsav it would also provide a boost to tourism as tourists can view sailing kayaking and other tourneys pointed out melville smythe national surfing instructor and a water sports expert who provides free waveriding lessons to children at the rushikonda beach besides coaching foreigners rushikonda beach is considered an ideal site for water sporting tourneys while a demo of yachts and kayaks can be given at rk beach