Last held in 2011, two-day event begins at Imkongmeren Sports Complex
After a gap of 15 years, the Ongpangkong Kaketshir Mungdang (OKM) Sports Meet returned on Friday, with organisers hoping to use the event to bring together the 17 villages under its jurisdiction and provide a platform for young sporting talent.
The two-day meet, being held at Imkongmeren Sports Complex, Mokokchung, on November 6 and 7, was last organised in 2011.
OKM Sports Secretary Temjenmongba said the revival was intended not only to promote sports but also to give people from the 17 villages an opportunity to interact and get to know one another.
OKM president Tongpangmangyang Kichu said the conference also hoped to provide a platform for sporting talent at the grassroots level.
The meet has drawn the participation of the Mokokchung district associations for football, volleyball and basketball, whose representatives were present to scout potential players. This, organisers said, would give participants an opportunity to be noticed beyond the village level.
However, securing the participation of students attending schools and colleges proved challenging. While educational institutions were reportedly accommodating towards the event, some parents were reluctant to send their children on leave to take part, affecting the turnout of school- and college-going students.
Addressing the opening ceremony as guest of honour, Assistant Director of Food and Civil Supplies, Mokokchung, N Jamonger Ao, encouraged young people to explore new opportunities, develop the habit of learning and approach new possibilities with creativity. He said achieving new possibilities required a willingness to take risks.
Referring to the influence of the internet and artificial intelligence, Ao observed that technology had changed the lives of young people, with solutions to many problems now available at the click of a button. However, he cautioned them to use modern technology responsibly, warning that it also had the capacity to destroy lives.
He further encouraged the youth to lead meaningful and purposeful lives by constantly seeking the word of God. Appreciating OKM for organising the meet, he urged the players to compete in team spirit and value friendship.
Earlier, Kichu delivered the keynote address, while Nüksüngmenla chaired the opening programme.
Kichu said OKM hoped to develop the meet into a long-running trophy and sustain it as an annual event. He also expressed the hope that the initiative could eventually grow into a football tournament involving all ranges in Mokokchung district.
He appreciated the Mokokchung District Football Association for reaching out to OKM regarding the Zonal category, an initiative aimed at strengthening grassroots football, and hoped similar efforts would be extended to other sporting disciplines.
The meet features football, volleyball, basketball, penalty shootout and tug of war. The penalty shootout and tug of war events include both male and female categories.
