Dimapur, May 12 (MExN): The Nagaland Athletics Association (NAA) announced the commencement of the District Technical Official (DTO) Course from May 12 to 14 at Pilgrim Higher Secondary School, Dimapur. The training is being conducted in collaboration with the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) and has drawn 82 registered participants from across the state.
This marks the third time the AFI is organizing the technical officiating course in Nagaland. The DTO program is one of the AFI’s major grassroots initiatives, aimed at training and certifying untrained technical officials to elevate the standard and quality of officiating at athletic competitions throughout India.
The inaugural session was graced by Abu Metha, Vice President of the Athletics Federation of India and President of the Nagaland Athletics Association. In his address, Metha emphasized the crucial role of technical officials in the promotion of sports.
“I express my gratitude to AFI for conducting the DTO course for the third time in Nagaland,” Metha stated. “It is encouraging to see that certified officials from Nagaland are now being given opportunities to officiate at regional and national level competitions. Nagaland Athletics will continue to organize similar training programs in the future, and we request all participants to lend their full cooperation.”
The resource person for the course is Shambhudas Bandopadhyay, World Athletics Silver Level Referee, AFI Technical Delegate, and a member of the AFI Technical Committee. He extended his appreciation to both AFI and the NAA for facilitating the training and shared insights on the technical standards expected at competitive events.
