Apart from the medal tally for India in the 12th South Asian Games what has to be appreciated is the near perfect organization of the Games in Guwahati and Shillong. Except for the glitch in Basket Ball, all other sporting events went off without a hassle. For the SAG Organisers in Meghalaya it was a tall order putting together the event. Shillong has no 5-star hotel which was one of the prime requirements of the SAG officials. There is not a single hotel that is centrally heated. Yet the athletes were in high spirits and there was no word of complaint from them including the team from Bhutan which was being accommodated right in the heart of Shillong’s market area – Iew Mawlong. Perhaps the hospitality of the people here won the hearts of the athletes. They would have been more exuberant had they been allowed to move around freely and were not under tight security throughout the day. But security is of prime concern in these troubled times. Any security lapse could lead to serious repercussions and give a bad name to both the SAG venues.
The Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs must be commended for holding his ground and bringing this prestigious event to the North Eastern States. But the chief ministers of both Assam and Meghalaya too must be commended for digging in their heels to see that the Games are organized in the most competent manner. The organizers of the different games in both the cities have imbibed several lessons which they would not have if the Games were held elsewhere. Now they have the confidence to organize similar games to come at par with the more advanced states of this country which are normally chosen as venues because of their easy accessibility. The athletes and the officials accompanying them must be commended for roughing it out to this corner of the country. It has to be said to their credit that they had all good things to say about their stay here. It has been a difficult fortnight for the local commuters as routes had to be changed to regulate traffic to the different Games venues. But the public of Shillong co-operated even though they felt that the Sports infrastructure could have been located away from Shillong city at a more spacious location. Perhaps these are points that the State Government needs to consider. Bigger and more spacious venues would also mean greater audience participation, something that did not happen this time.
