Shillong, Aug 10: The second North East Olympic Games will be held from October 30 to November 6.
Briefing reporters after a joint meeting chaired by state sports minister Banteidor Lyngdoh, on Wednesday, the president of North East Olympic Association, Th. Radheshyam, who is also an MLA from Manipur, said that sportspersons from eight states, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura, will be competing in eighteen Olympic sports disciplines in the 8-day event in 13 venues.
John Kharshiing, the working president, Meghalaya State Olympic Association assured to conduct the event successfully.
The number of participants is 3,700 , including the officials.
The proposed budget is around Rs 10 crore Kharshiing said.
Earlier, the joint meeting between the North East Olympics Organising Committee, Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Meghalaya and the North East Olympic Association was held at the main conference hall to finalise the list of sports disciplines for the North East Olympic Games.
Besides Banteidor as chairman, others who attended the meeting included Radheshyam, Abraham K Techi, Secretary General North East Olympic Association, Kharshiing, Finely L Pariat, General Secretary, Meghalaya State Olympic Association.Tai Hipik, joint secretary, Arunachal Olympic Association, Lakhya Konwar, general secretary, Assam Olympic Association (AOA), Tapam Das, executive member AOA, N.Ibungochoubi, EM, Manipur Olympic Association and V. Lalzawmliana, general secretary, Mizoram Olympic Association, T. Meren Paul, senior Vice President, Nagaland Olympic Association (NOA), Neivikuolie Khatsu, Assistant Secretary General, Nagaland Olympic Association.
Vijay Kumar D, Commissioner, Sports and Youth Affairs briefed the coordination meeting and said venues for all the disciplines and accommodations for the sportspersons and officials are being prepared in a war footing for the mega event of the region in consultation and coordination with the Meghalaya State Olympic Association
The concerned departments of the government have also been assigned different tasks for smooth and successful conduct of the Games.
He informed that the Meghalaya National Games secretariat has been triggered to assist and coordinate the successful hosting of the event jointly with the Meghalaya State Olympic Association.
The meeting was given a presentation as to the ongoing preparations by the various committees recently notified under the North East Organising Committee.
Banteidor said the sports disciplines were decided based on the availability of infrastructure and advice of Meghalaya State Olympic Association. The sports disciplines for games are Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Boxing, Football, Judo, Karate, Shooting, Swimming, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Wushu, Cycling, Golf, Weightlifting and Wrestling.
The minister informed that during the recent meeting of the sports ministers of India in Gujarat, he had informed the gathering about the 2nd NE Olympic Games 2022 and had invited Anurag Thakur, Union Minister, Ministry of Youth Sports Affairs, to grace the opening of the North East Olympic Games 2022. He informed that the Union Minister DONER including all the Chief Ministers, Union Ministers from the North East would be invited.
The meeting also accepted the proposal by Abraham K Techi, Secretary General,North East Olympic Association for inviting a few of the top athletes from North East who won in the recent Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the recent Commonwealth Games 2022 as special invitees to the opening ceremony of the North East Olympic Games 2022.
The event is part of the 50 years of statehood celebration which will also benefit the youths of the North East, including promoting unity and understanding among the North East youths.
Radheshyam and Abraham formally handed over the official flag of the North East Olympic Association to Banteidor, who then officially handed over the flag to Kharshiing
Others who attended the meeting were WAM Booth, Director, Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, (DSYA), Shivansh Awasthi under secretary, Sports and Youth Affairs, B Syiem, Chief Engineer, Meghalaya State Sports Council, PB War Nongbri, Assistant Director, DSYA, and a host of officials from the government departments.
The meeting ended with a vote of thanks from Dr Vijay Kumar D, IAS, Commissioner, Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Government of Meghalaya.
