Kohima, 10 July (MTNews): The Li Ning 45th Inter District & State Open Badminton Championship 2023 and Nagaland Badminton Association Golden Jubilee Commemoration inaugural program was held at Nagaland Legislative Assembly stadium on 10 July with Sharingain Longkumer, Speaker, Nagaland Legislative Assembly as the special guest of the event. About 300 participants from all the districts including the Nagaland Police are participating in the championship.
Speaking on the occasion, Sharingain highlighted the evolution of badminton in India and how it became a game for all and excelled in producing world-class players. “We need to produce players in all levels be it the district, state, national and international too,” he said. NBA has big responsibility to shoulder in creating such platforms to identify talents at a young age and to inculcate the necessary set of skills which is required in the game, he added.
The Speaker also congratulated the NBA and its founding members for bringing the association to glorious 50 years. He also encouraged the young players present in the tournament that the most important thing is the players themselves. He said the players need to train their mental temperament, maintain their physique, inculcate the skills, and, most importantly, be disciplined. He encouraged the young sportsperson that at any level of their game, nothing should deter their ambitions and patience to excel in the game.
He also encouraged them to perform consistently with humility since the coaches and trainers will only teach them the skills. “It is perseverance and commitment towards success but basic amenities should not be a reason to deter away from games and should not try to justify the lack of performance,” he said.
Mentioning that the Government of the day is giving much emphasis on sports and promoting it as a means of livelihood, Longkumer informed that special sports infrastructures are coming up in all the districts to encourage the young talents.
Earlier in the program, the Speaker also unveiled the Golden Jubilee Souvenir and the NBA website.
Kesonyu Yhome, President of NBA, in his keynote address, mentioned two proposals to the government of Nagaland, firstly the proposal to demolish the indoor badminton stadium in Kohima and construct the state-of-the-art new sports complex with other required services and amenities. Regardless of the training and regular coaching camps at various levels, badminton in the state has not grown beyond the point and one underlined point is the lack of scopes for livelihood, he said. NBA, therefore, proposed a policy to reserve a minimum of 5% job reservations in the group ‘C’ category in the government departments for the meritorious sports persons.
Shanavas C, DC & Chairman, District Sports Council Kohima while addressing the welcome note also highlighted the Nagas’ love for badminton. He also mentioned the challenges faced in sports and games and how badminton sailed through the challenges and produced some eminent international players for the country.