1st Nagaland open volleyball championship underway

Our Correspondent
Kohima, Nov. 16 (EMN): The 1st Nagaland state open volleyball championship got underway at Indira Gandhi Stadium (IGS) Kohima on Wednesday with Director of Youth Resources and Sports, (YRS) Akumla Chuba attending the occasion as special guest.

The championship is being organised by Nagaland Volleyball Association (NVA) in collaboration with the department of Youth Resources and Sports.

In her speech, the director said after the pandemic, sports in Nagaland has grown in leaps and bounds with so many tournaments being organised by the government, sporting groups and associations.

She maintained that state should be proud that it successfully conducted the 57th National Cross Country and SAAF- South Asian Cross Country Championship earlier in March, the 2nd  Nagaland Olympic and 1st Paralympic Games 2022 in August, then the winning the U-17 Subroto Cup and now the 2nd Northeast Olympics with many players winning medals.

 “We see that sports in Nagaland have come to the forefront,” said Chuba, and asserted that Nagas were second to none despite poor infrastructure and limited funds.

She congratulated the sportspersons for bringing laurels to the state, for their dedication and love of sports and encouraged them not to give up.

She informed that four Astro-turf grounds are coming up with a prefabricated indoor stadium in five districts, which will be completed in phase-wise manner while she maintained that Khelo India Centres are also being set up in various districts.

 “I am certain that it will not be long before Nagaland becomes the next powerhouse of sports in the country”, she said and called for effort to work hard with renewed dedication.

She also urged the youths to be ambassadors of ‘fitness and health’ adding that Naga lifestyle is changing and people are slowly becoming inactive, overfed and unhealthy with many lifestyle diseases like diabetes, blood pressure etc, which can be controlled by diet and exercise. She also said that youths are into the habit of taking tobacco, drinking at an early age, which should be avoided.

The official also exhorted the youths to live clean and disciplined lives; and while encouraging the young athletes to practice healthy lifestyles and to promote it wherever they go.

A total of five teams, both in men and women’s categories, are participating in the event, which will be played in the round robin league; the finals will be played on Thursday afternoon (November 17).

Teams for men — Kohima District Volleyball Association; MH-10 Kohima (junior); Chantongnya Volleyball Association; Seven Brothers Kiruphema and MH-10 Kohima (seniors).

Teams for women — Volleyball Lovers; Peren District Volleyball Association, Phusachodu United; Elite Sisters Lazami and Mystic.