Shillong, Mar 12: Meghalaya will only be ready to host the 39th National Games by 2025, the Meghalaya State Olympic Association has informed the Indian Olympic Association.
Meghalaya was meant to hold the Games in 2022.
Even the 2025 date is only tentative, MSOA Working President John F Kharshiing said.
The MSOA and Department of Sports & Youth Affairs presented a detailed brief yesterday on the preparations for the Games to IOA President PT Usha MP, IOA Joint Secretary Kalyan Chaubey and IOA Executive Council Member Amitabh Sharma.
The MSOA was represented by Kharshiing and Vice-President Matsiewdor War Nongbri. The latter was also in New Delhi on behalf of the Archery Federation of India at the special annual general meeting of the IOA.
During the meeting, Usha stated that the IOA is committed to conducting the National Games as allotted and is trying to hold the mega event every year in order to clear the backlog of pending National Games in Goa, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand and Meghalaya. Goa’s Games were meant to take place in 2020 but will go ahead in October this year.
Kharshiing informed Usha that Meghalaya’s efforts to prepare to host the Games were hampered by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. He also told her that the state has been able to hold multi-discipline events, such as two editions of the Meghalaya Games and the North East Olympic Games.
Construction of infrastructure for the national event is ongoing and is at an “advanced stage” in both Shillong and the sub-city host Tura, Kharshiing added.
He also told Usha that the IOA has not appointed a replacement for the late RK Sachetti, who was the Chairman of the Games Technical & Conduct Committee; Sachetti passed away in May 2021. The Chairman is meant to coordinate with the MSOA and state government in relation to the National Games.
The IOA President informed that the new office bearers have just taken over and they will review the submissions and the timelines of the pending National Games.
(Photo contributed)
