SHILLONG:
In view of the recent accommodation controversy that marred the opening day of the ongoing fourth Meghalaya Games 2022 on May 2, the government has ordered an inquiry into the poor arrangements being meted out to the athletes participating in the Games.
“We have ordered an inquiry into this,” Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said post inaugurating the Northeast Food Show 2022 in Shillong, on May 5.
Admitting that there were shortcomings in the arrangements of the Games, the chief minister said that it has been a learning curve and one has to keep in mind that “nothing is perfect”.
“This game is happening after many years and the Meghalaya State Olympic Association (MSOA) has tried its best. I think it is more important to learn from the mistakes and move on. We will ensure that necessary steps are taken against the people who were responsible for it,” he said.
Earlier on May 2, the chief minister had personally checked on the arrangements at Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex after sordid pictures of the sleeping area, toilets and bathrooms in athletes’ accommodation went viral on the Internet painting a very sorry picture of the arrangements.
Sangma further requested the people to not let this one incident overshadow the importance of the Meghalaya Games. “In the larger picture, it is more important to move on. We have to realise that over 2,600 participants have participated in the Games and that it is happening only for the fourth time in 50 years,” he added.
He also stressed the need to focus on positive stories and said, “Yes, we learn from negative things, we need to improve things and ensure such incidents do not happen in the future.”