TURA:
With just another day to go before the start of the 5th edition of the Meghalaya Games, there is palpable excitement in the air of the town of Tura. The excitement is because, for the first time ever, Olympic-level sports will be a part of the periphery of sports in the region.
The Meghalaya Games will see 23 disciplines being contested and more than 3000 athletes looking to shine with each district trying its utmost to be the best in the state of Meghalaya.
“This is the first time that the town of Tura has hosted an event that features in the Olympics. As a sportsperson, I can vouch for the fact that the town of Tura is always going to be hospitable to such events and encourage more of the same in our town. We welcome this move. Everyone behind the move should congratulate themselves for making this possible. We now have infrastructure that will encourage youths of all spheres to come forward and prove their mettle in the arena of sports. I also want to thank the government and all those involved for making this happen,” said former MLA Billykid A Sangma.
Billy himself is an avid sports lover and ex-cricketer. He pointed to the new infrastructures in golf, boxing, and athletics among others that he felt would help sportspersons in the region.
Garo Hills has always been crazy about sports though mainly bereft of infrastructure to carry on their passions. A visit to any cricket, football, volleyball or any sports being held will give you a glimpse of how crazy people are over sports. Thousands cramp onto little spaces just to get a glimpse of footballers or cricketers and this has been an ongoing phenomenon.
Just last month over 30,000 people viewed a final match between 2 sides that had no local players in the town of Phulbari. Mahari tournaments being held across the region have seen similar numbers wherever space is available.
While this may be for football, badminton, table tennis as well as many other sports receive similar responses whenever tournaments are played. The fact that Olympic events will be competed in the town of Tura by the best in the state just adds more sheen to the upcoming six days of sporting competition.
A local from the town of Tura, Rahul Gupta, felt the creation of infrastructure is not only significant but an important milestone for sports in the region.
“These infrastructures will be used for the betterment of the youth and I can already feel things will change for the better. We never dreamt of having an athletic track or a boxing ring, archery in the town of Tura but it is a reality now. This will give a boost to all disciplines that are currently being competed in.
Decentralization of sporting venues, with the previous 4 Games being held in the capital Shillong, has been seen as a welcome move by the state and the sports department.
“There are many here who wanted to excel in various sporting pursuits but this was till a few days ago, just a pipe dream. We may have not been able to touch Olympic glory as yet, but if the focus on sports remains strong, the time is not very far when one amongst our youths make not only the state but the nation proud,” felt SR Sangma, a resident of Phulbari.
Veteran table tennis player, who still represented the country in the senior category called the move to host the Meghalaya Games in Tura a momentous occasion.
“This is a historic moment for the people of Tura and Garo Hills (GH) as the President of India is coming to inaugurate the Meghalaya Games. This kind of sports extravaganza will definitely boost the morale of athletes. We are very thankful to the state government as Tura now has national-level sporting infrastructure in our midst,” said Nag.
The disappointment of not being ready to host the National Games in 2022 is still fresh but with the state government now committing to providing more infrastructure in the coming years for the development of sports, it may just take a few years for the state to fully ready once again to take up the mantle of hosting the biggest sporting event in India – the National Games.
Tura has been on a high drive following the event’s announcement and with the day getting closer for the President to call play tomorrow, Jan 15, everyone expects a seamless next 6 days until the conclusion of the Games. Preparations are all in place to receive the president in what will be her maiden visit to the region and understandably expectations are high.
“We will be there to watch as much of the competition as we can in all the venues. This is the first time a sporting event of such huge nature is being undertaken in Tura and I, like many here, want to be part of history being made in our own backyard. The President inaugurating the event is just the icing on the cake. In the end, sports and sportspersons from Garo Hills will get a huge fillip due to the Games being held here,” felt another Tura resident, AM Marak.
The significance of the move of the government to bring the Games to Tura cannot in a way be underplayed. Given that the CM, Conrad Sangma has already promised a yearly routine of Meghalaya Games in different venues across the state, it is a good time to be a sportsperson in the state.
The arrival of the President to open the Games is in itself an achievement that the state can take pride in.
As the CM himself aptly put it the other day when inaugurating the track and field stadium in Tura, “She is here because she believes in the power of our youth and their athletic abilities. She is here to put that same belief in you and see you excel.”