SHILLONG, Jan 9: Deputy Chief Minister Prestone Tynsong said the Centre has not yet let the state government know if the National Games 2022 to be hosted by Meghalaya would be rescheduled.
“We are listed as one of the states entitled to host the National Games. We want to host the games but we are yet to receive any communication from the Centre on whether or not it will be postponed due to the pandemic,” he said on Saturday.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the entire world was trying to overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the onus was on the central government to update on the status of the games.
“The state government is doing everything that needs to be done and trying to complete it (sports facilities) on time,” Tynsong said.
Union Minister of State Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju had on January 4 said he was not sure if Meghalaya could host the National Games 2022 because of the impact of the ongoing pandemic.
But he assured the Centre’s support to Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and the state government in their effort to stick to the schedule.
He was iffy about Meghalaya hosting the 2022 Games in time because of the delay in conducting the 2020 games – the 36th edition – in Goa due to the pandemic.
The National Games 2022 is seen as a gala event to commemorate the Golden Jubilee celebration of Meghalaya’s statehood.