Vijayawada: In a decisive administrative move aimed at strengthening the sports administration in the state, S Bharani, who recently took charge as Vice-Chairman and Managing Director (VC & MD) of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh (SAAP), issued transfer orders for as many as 27 officials, including Sports Officers (SOs), District Sports Development Officers (DSDOs), and Coaches across the state. The orders were issued recently, marking the first major reshuffle in SAAP since the coalition government assumed office.
According to sources, the reshuffle was undertaken after a detailed review of long-pending administrative issues, performance gaps, and the need to overhaul the organisation’s functioning. The VC & MD reportedly took into consideration several irregularities and lapses at both the district and headquarters levels.
One of the most notable transfers in this reshuffle is the appointment of former international weightlifter and Commonwealth Games gold medalist (2002), Pujari Sailaja, as DSDO for Anakapalli district. Sailaja, who was appointed as a regular coach in 2022 and has been serving as a Grade-III Weightlifting Coach at the Visakhapatnam District Sports Authority (DSA), becomes the first international medal-winning athlete to be appointed as a DSDO in the history of SAAP. This move is being hailed as a progressive step to bring experienced sportspersons into key administrative positions.
Several senior officials, in addition to Sailaja, have been reassigned to new roles. S Venkata Ramana, the SAAP Tribal Sports Officer, has been transferred to serve as the DSDO in Kakinada. Meanwhile, the current DSDO, B Srinivasa Kumar, has been moved to the SAAP Headquarters.
Additionally, the following individuals are directed to report to the SAAP Headquarters in Vijayawada: M Rajesh, the Table Tennis Coach and DSDO for West Godavari; M Kalyani, the Kabaddi Coach in Machilipatnam; B Srinivasa Rao, the DSDO for Eluru; and LV Ramana, the DSDO for Anakapalle.
Furthermore, V Sateesh Kumar, the Weightlifting Coach at the Kakinada DSA, has been appointed as the DSDO for West Godavari, and Azeez, the DSDO for NTR, has been transferred to serve as the DSDO for Eluru. Lastly, K Koteswara Rao, the SAAP Sports Officer, has been assigned as the DSDO for the NTR district.
In another set of changes, Srikakulam DSDO has been moved to Alluri Sitarama Raju district, while Hockey Coach A Mahesh from Vizianagaram has been posted as DSDO, Srikakulam. Visakhapatnam DSDO S Venkateswara Rao was shifted as DSDO, Vizianagaram, and temporary Hockey Coach, and SAAP Sports Officer R June Gallyot was transferred to Visakhapatnam DSDO.
Kakinada DSA Basketball Coach Vaikunta Rao Rudra was posted as DSDO, Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema district, while Guntur DSDO P Narasimha Reddy was shifted to Palnadu district. Guntur Gymnastics Coach P Afroz Khan has been posted as DSDO, Guntur. Other notable transfers include: Prakasam DSA Basketball Coach S Srinivasa Rao as DSDO, Bapatla; Bapatla DSDO K Paul Kumar as Football Coach, Nellore; Nellore Football Coach M Pandu Ranga Rao as DSDO, Nellore, and DSDO RK Ethiraj appointed as Kho-Kho Coach.
Similarly, Sri Satya Sai DSDO B Udaya Bhaskar has been posted as DSDO, Chittoor, while A Balaji, current DSDO, was posted as Kho-Kho Coach in the same district. Also, Nandyal Volleyball Coach B Kishore was posted as DSDO, Sri Satya Sai district, Annamayya DSDO S Ghouse Basha was shifted to Kadapa DSDO, replacing Basketball Coach K Jagannadha Reddy, while Annamayya Hockey Coach G Chandra Sekhar was posted as DSDO, Annamayya.
