Itanagar, Nov 9 (UNI): Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday flagged off the world’s highest mountain biking race (MTB) Monduro 3.0, in his hometown Tawang in the presence of local legislator Tsering Tashi and others.
‘Mon’ stands for the land of the Monpas and ‘Duro’ depicts the Enduro format of the MTB. Monduro 3.0 is the first after the state government declared it as a calendar event.
Khandu expressed happiness over the participation of mountain bikers from countries like Nepal, Indonesia and Britain, besides those from across the country.
“This is an indication that the event has grown from its humble beginning and has caught the attention of enthusiasts from across the globe. This will not only boost the morale of our youths to take up sports but also develop tourism in the region,” he said.
Revealing that Arunachal Pradesh languished at the bottom when it came to sports and games in the country, Khandu said that with the Centre’s support, the state government has concentrated on developing sports infrastructure and encouraging youths to take up sports as a profession.
“In recent years, our commitment has shown results. Our youths today are winning medals not only at national but also international levels. Under the present government at the Centre, even India has emerged as a global power in sports and games,” he said.
Referring to the National Games (that concludes on Thursday) at Goa, the Chief Minister asserted that Arunachal’s emergence as a sporting state can be vouched from the fact that it is ranked 21st in the medal tally amongst 34 states and union territories.
“When it comes to the North East, we are third after Manipur and Assam,” he informed.
