Our Reporter
Dimapur, Oct. 24 (EMN): Strongman Northeast India is all set to organise the 1st edition of Strongman competition for the strongest man of Northeast India title at Orchid ground, Burma Camp Dimapur on November 5.
Announcing about the event during a press conference at City Gym, Purana Bazar Dimapur on Monday, the president of Strongman Northeast India, Mayang Kichu said that the main event will consist of Tyre flipping (80 feet), Front hold (maximum time) and Deadlift (Maximum repetition) exercises, with the weight and task depending on the athlete's body weight. There will be four categories for men -- under 70 kg, under 80 kg, under 90 kg and open categories.
While for women, there will be three competitions --flipping (60 feet), front hold (maximum time), deadlift (maximum repetition) under 65 kg and open categories. In addition to the main competition, there will be three side competitions which includes tug-of-war between gyms, car pulling, and food-eating competition.
Kichu informed that registration will start at 10 am on the same day (November 5) and the event will begin at 1 pm. There will be separate prize money for the side events.
The registration fee for the main event will be INR 750 and for side events will be INR 500 each. The winner will receive medals and a certificate along with a cash prize of INR 5000, INR 3000 for second place and INR 2000 for third place for both men and women respectively.
The president informed that the competition is open to anyone from Northeast India and the athlete with the best aggregate points of all three different categories will be declared the winner. He added that they were anticipating between100 to 150 participants.
During the press conference, member of Strongman Northeast India, Abraham Botoking, said that this event is being held for the first time not only in Nagaland but also in the Northeast and they were affiliated with Strongman India and as a whole, they were affiliated to ‘Strongman Champion League’ headquartered in Finland.
The winner of this competition will be eligible to compete in the national Strongman India competition, and if they rank first, they will advance to the annual international competition in Finland.
He also mentioned that if any athlete from Nagaland wins this competition, they would sponsor the athletes at the national event which will be held next year in Tamil Naidu.
Botoking also mentioned that Naga athletes have achieved success at the national level, however, Nagaland lacks an association to support its athletes, making it challenging for them to advance in their careers. For this reason, they decided to form the association and hold this event to make the road easier for the coming generation.