Sovima, 18 March (MTNews): Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday evening declared the 3rd North East Games open at the Regional Centre for Sports Excellence in Sovima, Chümoukedima.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Rio on behalf of Nagaland Government and the State’s citizens welcomed all the athletes to the 3rd North East Games. “The sportspersons coming to Nagaland & representing their home States itself is a success. It’ll eventually bring more laurels to their respective States & inspire unity among us,” he said.
Referencing Prime Minister Narendra Modi as saying “India will not develop if the NE is not developed,” Rio said that the former is “greatly supporting us in infrastructure, sports, and connectivity.”
“We’ve made contributions in India’s nation building process and given further opportunities, we can greatly add to it,” Rio further said.
He said that the Northeast holds only 3.1% of the population of India, “but it is a matter of pride that 6.72% of the total athletes who represented India at the Rio 2016 Olympics belonged to NER. We must use the platform of sport to strengthen our unity.”
Rio conveyed his best wishes to all the participants of the Games. “I hope you will have a wonderful Nagaland experience. Let the spirit of sportsmanship lead us, may the best teams & athletes win & may the Games be a grand success.”
My best wishes to all the participants of the Games. I hope you will have a wonderful Nagaland experience. Let the spirit of sportsmanship lead us, may the best teams & athletes win & may the Games be a grand success. pic.twitter.com/LskkSnReAr
— Neiphiu Rio (@Neiphiu_Rio) March 18, 2024
Nagaland is hosting the NEG 2024 which will be held in 12 venues across the three districts of Chümouokedima, Dimapur and Kohima. More than 3000 athletes from the eight northeastern states will be vying for 1400 medals in 15 sports disciplines and will conclude on 23 March.