The 68th National School Games organised by the Department of Youth Resources and Sports (DYRS) in collaboration with the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) U-19 Girls’ Sepak Takraw event is scheduled to take place in Kohima on November 25 at 1 pm at Hall B, IG Stadium.
The event will bring together 17 teams from various states across the country to compete in the exciting sports of Sepak Takraw.
The announcement was made during a press conference held at IG Stadium on November 23, by Anthony Ngullie, secretary of the Department of Youth Resources and Sports.
He stated that this year’s tournament is set to be one of the most competitive yet, with participants from major states such as Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Vidhya Bharati, Manipur, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Kerala, Delhi, Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, in addition to Nagaland.
The inauguration ceremony will be graced by the special guest Advisor to the Chief Minister, vice president of the Athletics Federation of India, and general secretary of the Nagaland Olympic Association Abu Metha.
Advisor of School Education Dr. Kekhrie Yhome will serve as the special guest for the closing ceremony., Director of DYRS Kethosituo Sekhose, highlighted that Nagaland is collaborating with the School Games Federation of India (SGFI) to host this tournament for the first time.
He announced that officials from across India, including Nagaland officials, will be in attendance. Additionally, it was shared that there will be two separate competitions: the Regu and the Doubles events, with prizes awarded for both in three categories: gold, silver, and bronze.
Sekhose noted that Sepak Takraw players have a significant opportunity in the coming years to participate at the national and international levels if the sport is introduced in the world games.
He also announced that four girls and one boy from Nagaland are part of the national team.
He added that the tournament is for under-19 players, as this is the time for those who have trained to compete in the next Asian Games. He also mentioned that Nagaland is likely to host the upcoming international Sepak Takraw games.