No winner of Dr T. Ao trophy?

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t is with a measure of regret and no less embarrassment/shame that the authorities concerned have decided that they could find ‘no worthy sportsman’ to be awarded the Dr T. Ao trophy this year. It is the highest award conferred by the Nagaland govt in the sporting arena.That no one was deemed worthy of the iconic footballer’s legacy this year is regrettable. There could be many reasons/explanations for it. It is all the more regrettable that our sports arena/sector has come to such a pass. Minister for Youth Resources and Sports, Merentoshi R. Jamir, had of late been active for both youth resources and sports but his vision will materialize after some time. For sports and games, there is only one outlet as compared to Youth resources. The government claims to be doing its utmost to provide sports infrastructure, and financial help to encourage young boys and girls to achieve their dreams in games and sports so that they can bring honor and glory to the state and country. State government has also instituted various merit certificates and cash awards to meritorious sportspersons of state for their achievements at the regional, national and international levels. In spite of so many ongoing games and championships, why no one has proved worthy of Dr Ao trophy which was instituted in 2012 and archer Chekrovolu Swuro was conferred the honour then? There are numerous games championships going on in the sate throughout the year either being sponsored by the government or by private clubs with attractive cash prizes To be good in any sports discipline requires not only physical fitness but a psychological approach strengthened by some basic knowledge of the weather or climate that affects performance. For instance, in running, it has become hard to break records even by hundredths of a second although techniques and studies have advanced. In comparing body mass with altitude of the track, the drag coefficient comprised the “physical barrier” imposed by the conditions on earth. The runners must act very powerfully against a tremendous force which increases with every bit of additional speed they are able to develop. Ckekrovolu had a firing chance but perhaps did not take into account the speed and directions of winds in London which are peculiar to it. It is only through hard work and dedication that one can become a champion. Sportspersons have bright future and many opportunities. Neighboring Manipur is doing well in the sports and Mary Kom has become an iconic figure. As for us, so far, we have produced only two Olympians. Dr T. Ao played football barefoot as the Indian team captain in London Olympics and only 60 years later in 2012 Chekrovolu also landed in London. The claim of Chekrovolu that “we can compete with others in any field” notwithstanding, are we to be proud—or hang down our heads in embarrassment—of our performance in sports history?