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KOHIMA — Nagaland is all set to host the Khelo India University Games (KIUG) 2023, Ashtalakshmi, which will be held from February 23 to 25 at Indira Gandhi Stadium (IGS) Kohima for the wrestling discipline. All arrangements are in place for the kick-off on Friday.
This was made known during a press conference held on Thursday at the site of the preparations, addressed by secretary of Youth Resources and Sports (YRS), Anthony Ngullie, along with director of YRS, Kethosituo Sekhose, additional director Megolhou Dolie, and other officials of the department.
Ngullie stated that Assam is the main host of the event, and that each of the Northeastern states has been assigned an event. Nagaland has been chosen to host a wrestling event, which is a first for the state, and full preparations for the national event are underway.
Sekhose pointed out that each of the Northeastern states is hosting a discipline, with the exception of Manipur due to prevailing situations.
He also said that about 240 athletes and over 80 officials, including officials from the Sport Authority of India (SAI), the Ministry of Sports, and the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) ad hoc committee, would be present to manage the competition.
The director maintained that the state government has set up various committees to look after the guests and about 11 hotels and six homestays have been booked for the athletes and players for their stay during the games.
Reception booths have been set up at Dimapur Airport and Dimapur Railway Station to assist athletes with their arrivals and departures. They will be operational 24 hours a day.
It should be noted that during the three-day games, men will compete in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, while women will participate in freestyle wrestling. The weight categories for wrestling will range from 57 kilogrammes up to 130 kilogrammes.
In wrestling, a hundred universities are expected to participate, while a total of about 200 universities are participating in the event across various disciplines.
Every day, wrestlers will compete in at least ten categories across two arenas, with medal ceremonies at 3 pm.
Sekhose clarified that the competition is not organised on a state-by-state basis but rather in the zones of the universities. There are eight zones in total, and universities compete within these zones. The winners from each zone are then chosen to compete at the national level.
It was informed that Nagaland University (NU) would not field any athletes due to its non-participation in the zonal (northeast) tournament, which serves as a qualifier for the national games. Additionally, it was communicated that the AIU has determined that there will be no provision for wild card entries.
Regarding this matter, Sekhose emphasised that the government will take steps to ensure that universities from the state participate in future events. He highlighted that invitations for the Khelo India University Games are directed solely to the universities, without involvement from the state government.
The Chief Minister of Nagaland, Neiphiu Rio, will be attending the commencement programme at IG Stadium at 330 pm on Friday.