Kerala has carved out a significant niche in the sports scenario of the country. After the 1950s the sportspersons of the State were able to make a significant impact on the national sports scene. In the seventies and eighties a bunch of talented youngsters, especially women athletes burst into the sports arena of India and soon they proved their mettle. Many sportspersons from Kerala have won laurels in national Asian and common wealth sports competitions. Most of these athletes have come from economically poor strata of society, and from rural parts of the State.

A good number of athletes from Kerala have gained world class status. P.T. Usha, one of India’s best known athletes, the queen of Indian track and field for almost two decades, is one of the foremost contributions of Kerala. Many sportspersons like T.C. Yohannan, Suresh Babu, Shiny Wilson, K.M. Beenamol, M.D. Valsamma and Anju Bobby George, the only Indian to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships explore new peaks at both international and national levels.