The Arunachal Olympic Association (AOA) has expressed its gratitude to all those who made the recently concluded Sansad Khel Spardha-2023 possible. The AOA hosted the mega event in three stages to promote sports culture at the grassroots level, identify talented young athletes, and prepare them for national and future Olympic competitions.
A total of 3,535 athletes participated in the event, which included trials at the district level, competitions at five zones, and the state level. The athletes competed in nine different disciplines in the age categories of under 16 and under 18, including Arm Wrestling, Athletics, Boxing, Karate, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Tug of War, Weight Lifting, and Wushu, which had ninety-seven categories.
The event was a resounding success, with the highest number of participants in the Athletics discipline, followed by Tug of War and Karate. The event also saw significant participation from girls, with 464 of them taking part in the competition along with 646 boys, and there was a high level of enthusiasm among the athletes.
The AOA thanked Union Minister for Law and Justice Kiren Rijiju and Chief Minister Pema Khandu for sponsoring the three-month-long sporting mega event (District level trials started from February onwards) to the tune of Rs. two crores and four crores, respectively. The organizers also expressed their appreciation for the constant support of the Minister of Sports, Secretary of Sports, Director of Sports, Deputy Commissioner of Papum Pare, SP of Papum Pare, VC, Registrar RGU, and the tireless contributions of Technical Officials, Coaches, Managers, and Volunteers.
During the 3-day tournament, the RGU Department of Sports Science initiated data collection of athletes for future reference to enhance their performance. It was not only an opportunity for young athletes to showcase their talent, but also a platform for coaches, managers, and technical officials to enhance their skills and learn from each other.
The Papum Pare District Olympic team managed to top the medal tally followed by East Kameng and West Siang as the first and second runners-up, respectively. The Best Zonal Host trophy was awarded to Lepa Rada District Olympic Association, and the Best Discipline team trophy was lifted by the Tawang District Olympic Association, along with cash prizes of Rs. 20,000 each.
The opening ceremony was graced by Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, RGU VC Prof. Saket Kushwaha, Member of Parliament (RS) Nabam Rebia, and Minister of Education Taba Tedir as the Chief Guest and Guest of Honours, respectively. During the closing ceremony, Nabam Rebia MP(RS), Mama Natung, Minister Sports and Youth Affairs, and Dr. N.T Rikam, Registrar, RGU, attended as the Chief Guest, Guest of Honours, and Special Invitee and awarded cash prizes to the medal winners, with gold receiving Rs. 20,000, silver receiving Rs. 15,000, and bronze receiving Rs. 10,000.
Details of the event may be found in following links
- https://thenesports.com/lower-siang-district-olympics-felicitates-arm-wrestling-players/
- https://thenesports.com/first-sansad-khel-spardha-2023-concludes-in-arunachal-pradesh-with-papum-pare-as-team-champion/
- https://thenesports.com/first-sansad-khel-spardha-2023-concludes-in-arunachal-pradesh-with-papum-pare-as-team-champion/
The AOA dedicated the success of the tournament to the budding youths of the state. They hope that this event will inspire young athletes to pursue their passion for sports and represent the state at national and international levels. The association is looking forward to conducting more such events in the future to unearth more talented athletes and promote sports culture in Arunachal Pradesh.
