Shillong, Aug 14: The Meghalaya State Olympic Association signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday for the third edition of the Talent Identification Programme and Elite Pathway Programme for 2024-25.
The MoU was signed by MSOA General Secretary Finely L Pariat and Director of Sportality Ian Campbell in the presence of the MSOA’s John F Kharshiing, Dipshon Ryntathiang and P Laloo.
In the previous edition, 14,500 youth were put through a battery of standardised tests out of which 200 were selected for the year-long EPP.
For 2024-25, another 10,000 participants from the age of 6 and up will be tested, with another 200 selected for an EPP camp.
If this feels like a little deja vu to you reading this, that’s because the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs had, in March, already launched the 2024-25 edition of the talent identification and EPP. How the government could have launched it when the MoU was yet to be signed is something TSR doesn’t quite understand but hopes to get clarity on.
The testing is run by an outside agency (Sportality) for the DSYA and MSOA.
The aim is to get Meghalaya, which punches well below its weight, being more successful at the National Games and other nationwide events and to even see a Meghalayan in the Olympic Games by 2032.
Although the initiative is still quite early days, Campbell and Kharshiing referred to the success of three athletes from the Super EPP (for which 11 high potential youngsters were selected) at the State Level Inter School Athletic Meet 2024. These three athletes – Henry Yoga Sangma, Kasanchi D Marak and Enriyana Momin – won six gold and a silver medal between them.
In a letter to the Chief Minister Campbell said, “Going forward we anticipate an aggressive performance improvement based on more advanced and rigorous training.”
(Photo contributed)