Shillong: Today the State Government through the Directorate of Sports &Youth Affairs came forward to felicitate the male and female youths who have won medals and made their mark in sports competitions for the year 2017-2018 in the programme known as the “Launching of Cash Award Scheme”, held today the 27th of July,2022 in Soso Tham Auditorium.
In the felicitation programme today 231 sports persons from both the Olympic and Non-Olympic disciplines were felicitated.
In the Olympics disciplines, the players felicitated today include players of different sports such as climbing,athletics,archery, football, shooting,boxing,taekwondo and badminton.
While in the non-Olympics disciplines the players felicitated are renowned medal winners in Arm Wrestling,Kickboxing, Jeet Kune Do,Karate(Zendokai),Mixed Martial Arts, Bodybuilding, Muay Thai and Karate-Do.
The Chief Guest on this day was the Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad Kongkal Sangma and the Guest of Honour was Banteidor Lyngdoh, Minister incharge of the Sports and Youth Affairs Department, with Dr.Vijay Kumar, IAS also being present and delivering the keynote address.
Speaking at the gathering, Conrad K.Sangma and Banteidor Lyngdoh expressed that since the rule of the MDA Government in Meghalaya, when they look at sports, they feel a need to turn their focus towards this aspect especially so since they found that in the past, even though such a programme to felicitate sports persons have been held yet the cash award is limited only to players who have been victorious or won medals, which is truly embarrassing to know.
Therefore upon seeing this, the MDA Government has taken the initiative and one of that is to start the implementation of the Sports policy which is to be added with the Youth policy.
Furthermore Conrad and Banteidor expressed that even though from their end they may the cash award amount is high but they also know that the award is perhaps not enough or sufficient for players, but yet as leaders, they fell the need to say that whatever they have given may serve as a mark to remember and motivate the sports person to work harder so that a higher milestone may be achieved in their life and career as sports persons.
Furthermore they also said that the Government has also sent representatives for the setting up or construction of sports grounds, training and exercise spaces in every locality of the State irrespective of whether they are big or small, in which such projects already implemented are moving forward very fast.
The gathering was also attended by forefront leaders of the Meghalaya State Olympic Association including John F.Kharshiing, Working President, Finely L.Pariat, General Secretary, Rajesh Kamal, Joint Secretary, leaders of different sports associations and parents of sports persons.
