Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio on Monday met Nagaland’s Sepaktakraw players and coaches selected to represent India at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, and assured them of continued support from the State Government.
A send-off ceremony was held at the Conference Room of the Nagaland Cricket Association, Sovima, for women players Menenu Tsukru and Seyiekhrieno Tepa and coaches Puleno Neikha and Pungotolu Puro. They will be part of the Indian Women’s Sepaktakraw Team at the Asian Games, scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
Also representing Nagaland at the Games will be para-athlete and Indian Army Junior Commissioned Officer Hokato Hotozhe Sema, who is currently training at the Army Sports Training Facility in Pune.
Congratulating the sportspersons and coaches, Rio said their selection reflected their talent, hard work and dedication. “Dedication, discipline and determination” should remain the guiding principles for sportspersons, he said, urging them to perform at their best and inspire the younger generation.
Rio, who is also president of the Nagaland Olympic Association, said sports offered significant opportunities for young people, including employment and career prospects. He said Nagaland had considerable sporting potential and stressed the need to identify and nurture talent from the grassroots.
Despite past infrastructure challenges, he noted that Nagaland had produced three Olympians. He said the State Government was working to improve sports infrastructure and build a stronger ecosystem for athletes.
Advisor to the Chief Minister and Chairman of IDAN, Abu Metha, thanked Rio for his support towards strengthening sports in the State. He said Sepaktakraw had consistently brought medals to Nagaland at national and international competitions and urged the sportspersons to set higher targets, including the Commonwealth Games and Olympics.
The selection of the Sepaktakraw contingent marks the fifth consecutive Asian Games since 2010 in which players and coaches from Nagaland have represented India.