The final football match between Team Pimla and Team Kuhoxu on the closing day of the Western Sumi Sports Association (WSSA) 24th MBE Zhuikhu Memorial Trophy Gold Cup at the Shokhuvi village ground, January 16. (Morung Photo)
Morung Express News
Dimapur | January 16
The 6-day long Western Sumi Sports Association (WSSA) 24th MBE Zhuikhu Memorial Trophy Gold Cup, hosted by Shokhuvi village, concluded on January 16.
The last day witnessed the final football match and the closing ceremony, which had Kitoho S Rotokha, Secretary General of the JD (U)’s Nagaland state unit as guest of honour.
Team Pimla took the football trophy defeating Team Kuhoxu in the final match. In women’s badminton, Team HASSA took the champion’s prize defeating Team Shokhuvi. East Dimapur (B) Team defeated East Dimapur (A) Team in the men’s division.
In men’s volleyball, Team Kikheyi took the prize defeating Team HASSA. In the under-16 division, Team HASSA defeated Team Khaghaboto in the final to take the title.
Rotokha, in his address, recollected his association with football as the President of the Naga Tornadoes Football Club, which made a mark in the short-lived Nagaland Premier League. He said that the Shokhuvi village ground had a special significance to him because it served as the adoptive training ground of the Naga Tornadoes at the time. He added that the ground has seen many up and coming footballers training on it and going on to play at the state as well as the national levels.
As an intending poll candidate from 5 Ghaspani-II, he also took potshots at the state government, criticizing what he termed was bias in sports promotion. According to him, the Government of India’s Khelo India initiative was aimed to give impetus to sports infrastructural development, besides augmenting training amenities. However, he accused the state government of “partiality” resulting in the sports programme not giving the desired result.
As far as sports situation in Nagaland was concerned, governmental bias is one contributing factor “why sports is not developing as it should.”
The alleged bias notwithstanding, he called upon the sports community, including budding sportspersons to continue playing with discipline and determination. The main motive should be to make it to the international level and for which, he said that sporting talent should not be regarded merely as one off “time pass” affairs.
