Shillong, July 6: Around 1,500 athletes from 36 states, Union Territories and sports boards are competing in the 14th Senior National Pencak Silat Championship, which got underway at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre on the NEHU campus here on Monday.
The three-day event is being organised by the Indian Pencak Silat Federation (IPSF) in association with the Meghalaya Pencak Silat Association (MPSA), featuring both combat (tanding) and artistic (seni) events.
At the opening ceremony, a memorandum seeking greater support for the sport in Meghalaya was submitted to chief guest and Meghalaya State Olympic Association Working President John F Kharshiing. He said discussions are underway among the state government, the Indian Olympic Association and other stakeholders regarding the finalisation of sports for the 39th National Games to be hosted by Meghalaya next year.IPSF Senior Vice-President Philia Thomas highlighted the rapid growth of pencak silat in India, noting that the sport has evolved from having little recognition a decade ago to producing international medal winners and hosting competitions at district, state and national levels.
The ceremony also featured addresses by IPSF President Kishore Yealiah, MPSA President Dipshon Ryntathiang and Tournament Committee head Alexander Thomas, followed by a martial arts demonstration.Host Meghalaya is also fielding a contingent, with its athletes aiming to build on the state’s impressive performance at the Senior National Khelo India ASMITA Pencak Silat League earlier this year, where the women’s team emerged overall champions.
