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Overall team champions, Manipur posing for the lens with officials at the first Northeast Olympic Games in Manipur on Sunday. (EM Images)[/caption]
Our Correspondent
Imphal, Oct. 28 (EMN): The 1st Northeast Olympic Games, 2018, the biggest sports extravaganza of eight North Eastern Indian states came to an end on Sun. Oct. 28 despite the seasonal drizzling in Imphal.
Nagaland took the 5th position in the medal tally with a total of 42 medals including 6 gold, 9 silver, and 27 bronze medals. Nagaland bagged gold medals in athletics, boxing, and weightlifting.
Securing 163 medals including 80 gold, 49 silver, and 34 bronze, Manipur bagged the overall team champion title leaving behind 7 NE states in the 5 days games, while neighbouring Assam took the runners-up title with 140 medals including 46 gold, 51 silver, and 43 bronze.
Assam team also won the team champion titles in athletics, shooting, table tennis, Taekwondo, and football while Manipur team bagged the team champion’s title in archery, boxing, judo, badminton, weightlifting, and Wushu. Arunachal Pradesh secured the team champion title in Karate.
Arunachal Pradesh stood third position by securing 71 medals including 17 gold, 23 silver and 31 bronze medals. Nearly 2000 athletes and officials from 8 NE states including Sikkim participated and competed in 12 different sporting disciplines: archery, athletics, badminton, boxing, football, judo, karate, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, weightlifting, and wushu in the five days Games.
Manipur’s Deputy Chief Minister Yumnam Joykumar Singh, Education Minister Th Radheshyam Singh who is also the Chairman of the Organising Committee of 1st North East Olympic Games, 2018 and President of Manipur Olympic Association, Revenue Minister Karam Shyam attended the closing ceremony which was shifted from the main stadium to indoor stadium of Khuman Lampak sports complex in Imphal due to seasonal drizzling and distributed trophies to the winning teams. Speaking at the closing ceremony Deputy Chief Minister Joykumar said, the first ever North East Olympic Games held at Imphal will definitely help to build up friendship and maintain cordial relationship among the north eastern states. He said, we have a unique history of commonness in terms of culture, tradition, food habits and way of life and that is why states are called as sisters. He further said there is the need to work together in taking up any measure in developmental, financial and sports. Joykumar Singh said, to a certain extent Manipur may be the power house of sports but other states in the North East are also coming up in the field.
Therefore, sporting disciplines that our players can hone their talents and skills successfully should be identified so that they can be groomed upto the international level. He appealed the coaches and managers in the region to train the young players in the suitable sporting disciplines so that they can compete and bring laurels even in the international arena, he added.
Education Minister Th. Radheshyam Singh while speaking at the closing ceremony said, the 1st North East Olympic Games is a historic event in the sport history of the region. He said, it will be perfect ground for the promising sports persons in the region. To maintain the legacy of competitiveness among the north eastern states, Olympic Associations across the region should be united and work together to fulfill the aspirations of the sportspersons in the region.