According to the American political scientist Joseph Nye Jr., soft power is the power of attraction through culture, political ideas, and policies rather than coercion that military hard power exhibits. This is now being reflected in increased interest by nations around the world, especially by smaller nations, in investing more and doing well in elite sports as it is thought that success in international sporting events boosts a nation’s chances of attaining soft power. Sports can be used as a tool of soft power both internationally and domestically. Sports also unite people, teach values, and inspire hope and pride. Governments around the world are increasingly investing in sports. At the domestic level, success in inter-state sporting events boosts a state’s chances of attaining soft power. At the state level, success in inter-district sporting events boosts a district’s chances of attaining soft power. And so it goes all the way down to the grassroots level – the village level in our case.
Unfortunately, Mokokchung has been ignoring sports for way too long. It is not that opportunities have not come our way or that some anti-Mokokchung forces are denying us. For instance, the youth hostel near Imkongmeren Sports Complex would have been a game changer for Mokokchung in the field of sports but look what happened to it. It appears the people of Mokokchung do not have the mental makeup to excel in sports, both on and off the field. Mokokchung did not win a single gold medal at the Nagaland Olympic Games. That is one proof that is more than enough to show that we are a long way behind others. We don’t have leaders in the field of sports and we do not have the “soft power” to attract sports infrastructure development.
The Angami Sports Association, for example, is now more than 50 years old and is the engine behind Kohima’s success in the field of sports. They organize regional sports meets regularly. That is like an Ao sports body organizing inter-range competitions. We know that such an inter-range sports competition in Mokokchung would very like do more harm than good because we do not have the mental temperament or character. In lieu of the tribal sports body, we came up with the District Sports Council. The people who brought about the district sports council must be appreciated because they realized the importance of sports and they also foresaw the problem of having a tribal sports body. Sadly, the sports council is also almost defunct now. And that is how we find ourselves at the bottom today. Lack of leadership, mental temperament and character are the reasons and not some boogeyman why we are faring so poorly in the field of games and sports. It will take a lot of effort to pick ourselves up and move ahead from where we are at right now.