Representatives of the body of the eight North-East states take oath during the opening ceremony of the 3rd North-East Games 2024, at the Games Village, Sovima, on March 18. (Morung Photo)
North East Games 2024 starts in Nagaland
Morung Express News
Chümoukedima | March 18
The 3rd North East (NE) Games 2024 were officially declared open, this afternoon, by the Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, at the Games Village, Sovima.
While welcoming dignitaries and athletes from across the region, Rio, who also heads the Nagaland Olympic Association (NOA), termed the NE Games a showcase of sports and camaraderie with a vision to inspire unity among the northeastern states.
He said the Northeast, apart from scenic landscapes and mineral resources, has great potential in its human resources. Despite the known advantages, he said the region faced many challenges, especially in terms of connectivity. Currently, he added that the Government of India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is making huge efforts to develop the region's infrastructure and address connectivity issues.
According to him, an event with more than 3000 people was no joke. While the Northeast region and its states may be small in terms of number and area, Rio said that in terms of percentage, the states were at the top.
The northeastern states hold only 3.1 percent of India's population, but 6.72 percent of the total athletes represented India at the 2016 Olympics, while at the FIFA Under-17 World Cup, 11 out of 21 players it was from the northeast. He said these pavilions testify to the potential of the region and hoped that the states in the region would continue to help each other in leading the North East to become the sporting powerhouse of the country.
“No one can stop the North East from moving forward and also becoming the contributor to the nation, especially in the field of sports,” he added. Reiterating that sports bring people together, Rio hoped that all participants will have a wonderful Nagaland experience and that the experience will propel the region to greater heights.
Abu Metha, General Secretary of the Nagaland Olympic Association hailed the event as the “biggest and grandest meeting and gathering of a people”. It is an example of the vitality and ambition of a people from the region, he added.
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More than 1400 medals will be awarded in 15 disciplines which will be held at 12 venues in Chümoukedima, Dimapur and Kohima.
He argued that sports have been a way of life for the people of the area since time immemorial. “Our Meitei brothers rode all over Southeast Asia and South Asia, people from Meghalaya have been practicing archery since the time of their ancestors. In Nagaland and Mizoram, we struggled in every event.”
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Today, he said the North-East region is recognized as the “sports bank of the country”. While athletes from across the region are constantly making India proud, he expressed confidence that the young athletes will make India proud in international arenas across the world.
“We have differences, but sport unites us,” he continued while calling on athletes to bring the world under one umbrella.
He argued that every athlete and sportsperson is an ambassador of unity and a warrior for justice. Metha looked forward to all the participants having an unforgettable time and making the third NE Games a success. The racing events will start from March 19 to 23.
