Two young athletes found dead in Kerala SAI hostel

Two teenage athletes were found dead inside their room at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in Kerala’s Kollam district on January 15 morning, sending shockwaves through the state’s sporting community.

The victims — an 18-year-old from Kozhikode and a 16-year-old from Thiruvananthapuram — were both trainees at the national sports facility and shared the same hostel room.

The tragedy came to light when the girls failed to report for their routine morning coaching session. Concerned hostel staff and fellow trainees went to check on them, only to find their room locked from the inside. When the door was forced open, the two were discovered lying dead inside.

Police were immediately alerted and rushed to the spot. Preliminary observations indicated that the room had been bolted from within, suggesting no forced entry. Investigators have begun an inquiry to determine the circumstances leading to the deaths.

The incident has cast a pall over Kerala’s sports fraternity, raising troubling questions about the pressures faced by young athletes training far from home, and the safety and mental well-being of minors housed in elite sports hostels.