Officials of Nagaland Olympic Association and 15 Sports Associations during a preparatory meeting for North-East Olympic Games 2024 held on February 21at the Games Headquarters located in the Regional Centre for Sporting Excellence, Chümoukedima. (Photo Courtesy: NOA)
Chümoukedima, February 22 (MExN): The preparation for the upcoming North-East Olympic Games (NEOG) 2024, where cricket and belt wrestling competitions are set to debut, is in full stride, informed by the Nagaland Olympic Association (NOA) today.
The NEOG 2024 is scheduled to be held from March 18-23 in various venues across Chümoukedima, Dimapur, and Kohima districts of Nagaland.
The Games will consist of 16 sports disciplines: Archery, Athletics, Badminton, Basketball, Belt Wrestling, Boxing, Cricket, Football, Freestyle wrestling, Lawn Tennis, Pencak Silat, SepakTakraw, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Volleyball, and Wushu. All 8 NE States are expected to participate in the games, and accordingly, preparations are underway.
As per the Association, Nagaland will become the first state in India to include cricket in the Olympic movement following the International Olympic Committee’s decision to make the discipline a full-fledged medal event in the Olympic Games.
Besides, the NEOG 2024 will introduce ‘Belt Wrestling’ with the aim of promoting indigenous sports, particularly those with mass popularity among local communities, it said.
Belt wrestling continues to grow on the international stage, and athletes from Nagaland have won medals at the international level, representing India, it added.
The Association also informed that coaching camps for the Nagaland teams in all the 16 disciplines will be conducted under the aegis of the NOA and the respective sports associations. In many disciplines, national-level coaches and trainers are being used for coaching the State’s teams, it added.
Meanwhile, the NOA held its preparatory meeting for NEOG 2024 on February 21 at the Games Headquarters located in the Regional Centre for Sporting Excellence, Chümoukedima. The meeting, attended by the 15 Sports Associations in the State and NOA officials, focused on the successful preparation and hosting of the games, as a number of officials, technical delegates, and senior members of the national federations are expected to arrive in Nagaland to participate and officiate in the games.
Accordingly, the Association also held a debriefing and preparatory meeting with the Liaison Officers and Volunteers for the forthcoming games to lay the groundwork and begin preparations.
The volunteers and LOs were reminded that they would now be on State Duty to serve its positive reputation and image, it added.
At the February 21 meeting chaired by the NOA Secretary-General, the house also extended appreciation to the Chief Minister and the State Government for making appreciable efforts towards the development of sports in Nagaland.
The house also lauded participants, organizers, sports associations, local communities, and all the multiple sections that positively contributed to the successful conclusion of the Nagaland Olympic & Paralympic Games 2024.
The NOA also reiterated its request to all sections of the people to continue to extend support to the sports fraternity of the State, especially the youth and the sportspersons. It further appealed to all believers of the State to continue their prayer support.
