TURA: The Chief Minister’s Inter School Athletic Meet in the district took off on Thursday here at the P A Sangma Stadium in Dakopgre to showcase the talent of the youth in the field of sports.
The two day event has been organised by the District Sports Office and its inauguration was flagged off by deputy commissioner Ram Singh.
Encouraging the youth to take up sports in a big way and reveal their hidden talent, the deputy commissioner said that sports is the integral part of the school curriculum and insisted on the students to take up sports activities along with their studies. Appreciating the generosity of the people of the region for sparing land for sports activities, he said that even though there is enough space for practising but promising sports persons are very few and far behind in participating in national arena. Therefore, in view of the upcoming National Games to be held in the State in 2022, he urged the concerned department to provide regular coaching in different fields and ensure that they are able to participate in the national games.
Mentioning about the various facilities provided for sports persons, he said that sports quota is available for admissions in college and universities as well as for jobs in state and central government and public sector undertakings. He urged the concerned parents to support and encourage their wards to take up sports as a career, but he also cautioned the students to have a balance with their studies and extra-curricular activities since both are important and to give priority to academic career for better future prospect.
In his introductory address, District Sports Officer, Tura O B Mawthoh informed that as many as 24 schools and over 400 athletes of various schools of the district are participating in the two day event. The athletic meet is featuring various track and field events comprising of 100 metre, 400 metre, 800 metre, 1500 metre race for both boys and girls, Shot Put, Discuss Throw, High Jump, Long Jump, Javelin Throw for both boys and girls under 14, 16, 18 category.