By Kyrsoibor Pyrtuh
Meghalaya is gearing up to host the 39th National Games in 2027. Certainly, the National Games will bring along a whole package of development in sports infra and development in the State, especially in centres where the games are going to be held. Of late, the Chief Minister has personally taken great interest in key areas like sports, arts and entrepreneurship for the development of the youths. While his efforts are widely appreciated, what is happening on the ground and the lived experiences tell a different story.
Ambitious Meghalaya: Meghalaya has expressed its readiness to host the 39th National Games in 2027. The Chief Minister himself had briefed the President of Indian Olympic Association on the state’s preparedness. Recently, the government sanctioned the first phase of grant-in-aid of ₹39.17 crore to 26 sports associations to support their preparations. The state’s athletes are optimistic, hoping the Games will boost sports development and create brighter futures.
However, the total government investment in athletes remains unclear, and so far, no corporate sponsorships have been secured. Is the grant provided by the government sufficient to produce medal winners? In the discipline of badminton, it is well-known that achieving national or international success often requires significant investment, often around one crore rupees per shuttler for personalized training and development. How do we expect our shuttlers to compete with the likes of P. V. Sindhu or Ashwini Ponnappa, who have incurred expenses exceeding one crore for their training?
Furthermore, hosting a badminton tournament with over 150 players would cost approximately ₹5-8 lakh. This amount covers only professional technical support and basic awards for winners and runners-up.
Scant Training Facility leads to Disruption: As of today, Meghalaya has scant training facilities for various sports disciplines. Even Shillong has minimal facilities, leave alone the state of the art, for athletes to train or prepare for any regional or national championships. They would have to be content with whatever is available and the ones that they have access to are in bad shape and not conducive for professional trainings. The lack of sports infrastructures has also led to disruption of one sports event by another, like it had happened recently in Shillong, when the Badminton Promotional Tournament held from 24-26 July 2025 was disrupted by the match cum opening ceremony of the 134th Durand Cup 2025, as both these events were held within the premises of J. N Sports Complex.
The disruption was uncalled for and one fails to understand as to why both events cannot be held simultaneously without disruption? No one is contesting the fact that football is the most popular sport in the State and is considered as the priority sport discipline. Its history dates back to 1891 when the Bengali community first founded the Shillong Town Club to be followed by the establishment of the he first Khasi Club known as the Christian Athletic Club or C.A.C, which was formed with the patronage of some British Missionaries in the last part of the 19th Century. This City had produced the first batch of prominent Khasi football players like Jogendro Roy, Wilson Reade, Raju Giri, Willief Lewis, Rihin Singh, Hamuin Roy and Dr Brojogendro Diengdoh.
At the same time, Badminton is ingrained in the culture of Meghalaya, particularly in places like Shillong and Jowai. However, Tura has also emerged as the new hub for badminton and shuttlers like Sixthbirth M Marak and others, are potential medal winners. Badminton is not merely a pastime game, but a significant sport discipline in the State. If one peruses Meghalaya’s State Sports Policy 2019 will find Badminton as one Sport discipline recognised by the State for nurturing and development.
It is important to draw the attention of the concerned authorities and other sports enthusiasts, to the incident which had caused disruption to the Badminton Promotional Tournament held from 24 to 26 July 2025 at JN Indoor Sports Complex, Polo Shillong. This tournament was organized by the Badminton Promotional Group, Shillong, with the sole objective to provide more platforms for budding shuttlers (as young as 7 years) of the State and also to facilitate training to enhance their skills.
The tournament attracted a large number of participants from across the State, with shuttlers coming from as far as Garo Hills and South West Khasi Hills to compete. The event officially kick-started on the morning of 24 July with a simple inauguration and was scheduled to conclude with the closing ceremony on 26 July. Unfortunately, on the night of 25 July, the organizing committee received a directive from the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs. The letter instructed the organizers to conclude all matches and vacate the premises by 12:30 PM sharp on the 26 July, citing the need for preparations for the opening ceremony of the 134th Durand Cup, which is to be held in Shillong and commence at 1 PM.
The above order is a direct response to the letter the Organizers of the Badminton Promotional Tournament had written to the District Administration East Khasi Hills, not only to prevent any disruptions but also to inform and offer cooperation in order to avoid interference with the preparations and the grand opening of the Durand Cup 2025. Despite offering cooperation and timely suggestions to resolve any issues, the sports authority decided to issue an order that was, in effect, impossible to fulfill. The Badminton Promotional Tournament was conducted with a high level of professionalism and here are some statistical facts that explain why it is not feasible to conclude all matches by 12:30 PM on Saturday, 26 July.
The tournament received an overwhelming response from both budding shuttlers and senior players. A total of 229 participants, 276 entries, 256 matches and 20 events were conducted. According to the schedule, approximately 18 semi-final matches and 20 final matches are to be played on Saturday, 26 July. Based on records provided by the match controller, the average duration of each match ranges between 22 to 25 minutes. Therefore, the semi-final and final matches alone would require approximately 8 to 10 hours to complete. Even if we start the semi-final matches at 6 AM, it would still be impossible to finish all final matches by 12:30 PM as directed. The directive was therefore unreasonable, causing unnecessary disruption, stress and anxiety among the organizers and participants. Many participants who travelled from distant locations had to remain an extra day to wait for the finals, which were ultimately held on Sunday, 27 July 2025.
The reference to the above incident is not maliciously made or to cast aspersion on the Directorate of Sports or any individual. However, it aims to foster better cooperation and to reduce conflict and disruption in the future. It is important not to undermine the efforts of individual citizens whose love for sports has yielded positive results across various disciplines. Indeed, Shillong faces a shortage of space and sports infrastructure, but space constraints should not cause disruption or discouragement, especially to athletes.
The Scintillating Finals on Sunday: Due to ultra-religious conservatism and orthodox beliefs, organizing a non-religious, particularly non-Christian, event on a Sunday in Shillong is very challenging. As a result, the organizing committee faced considerable stress while deciding to conclude the finals of the Badminton Promotional Tournament on a Sunday and to convince that it is neither sinful nor immoral to hold the finals on a Sunday.
With no other viable option, the organizers decided to defer the finals to Sunday, 27th July 2025, with special permission from the State Sports Council. Consequently, we witnessed the scintillating final matches across almost every event, showcasing the prowess, endurance and skill that the State’s shuttlers have developed so far. Although these players have yet to reach the national standard, they certainly possess significant potential.
The Dream for 50 Medals: Meghalaya is setting a target of winning 50 medals at the National Games 2027. This is daunting, but there are talented athletes who can be groomed to attain medals and accolades for the State. However, there are also other reasons known to various sports associations but not publicly disclosed, that could prevent Meghalaya from reaching this target or result in a blank medal tally.
Given the limited time of two years, how much investment can Meghalaya realistically make to prepare its athletes to become medal winners? Additionally, what amount can the state afford to invest in providing athletes across different sports disciplines with state-of-the-art training facilities?
While Meghalaya stands to gain immensely from hosting the National Games in terms of sports infrastructure development and fostering a new sports culture, sustaining and maintaining these infrastructures will pose significant challenges.