Justice for Monika

Sit-in-protest staged on Monika issue:
Imphal, Oct 4: Functionaries and volunteers of North East Students' Organisation's constituent bodies as well as former and present-day sportspersons staged sit-in-protest at Latasil ground in Guwahati in denunciation for preventing weightlifter L Monika Devi from participating at the recently concluded Beijing Olympic Games as well as in demand for making public the investigation report on the said issue.
An AMSU statement further maintained that the protest was organised to condemn exclusion of Monika Devi from the Beijing Games which is akin to discriminating against the people of North East region and to demand punitive action against the guilty persons responsible to denying the weightlifter an opportunity to compete with the world's best.
While AMSU president Khamba Laishram along with hockey Olympians Thoiba, Tiken and body-builder Kh Pradipkumar represented Manipur at the protest, NESO's functionaries led by its chairman Dr Samujjal Bhattacharya and a number of sportsperson also took part at the sit-in-protes.
In their remarks at the demonstration site, representatives of NE States un-equivocally expressed that preventing Monika from the Beijing Games clearly reflects discriminatory attitude of the Central authorities against the people of the region and pledged to work in unison to eradicate such step-motherly treatment.
Source: The Sangai Express

World Muaythai Championship

Four Manipuris lose on 4th day:

Bangkok, Nov 30: Altogether four players from Manipur have been defeated since the beginning of the World Muaythai Championship here at Fashion Island, Bangkok.

Many of them, however, could complete their rounds and lost in points only.

Sarangthem Ningtamba from Manipur lost to Ramazan Gasanov of Russia in 57 kg Junior Division yesterday, while Likmabam Suraj and Chingshanglakpa also from Manipur lost to Dakoto Jean Stephan of Madagascar and Aiazau of Belarus respectively today.

Suraj was in 60 kg B Division, while Chingshanglakpa in 48 kg Junior Division.

On the second day of the Championship, L Nishikanta was defeated by Adrian Wytwer of Poland in 63.5 kg B Division.

Besides them, Desam Anjan Kumar Goud from Andhra Pradesh, M Vinothkumar from Tamil Nadu and Anshuman Behera from Orissa have lost to Moghaddam of Iran, Aliaksei Baranouski of Belarus and Clayton Cook of Australia respectively.


There were two officials from Manipur, O Manglemjao (Senior Referee), L Thoiba Singh (Referee), two from Nagaland, Aneile Kenye (Media and Assistant Team Manager) and Takameren (Referee) and also one official each from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, Selvaraj and Balaraju.

It may be mentioned that President of Muaythai Federation of India Oken Jeet Sandham has led this jumbo Indian Muaythai Team to Bangkok for this historic World Muaythai Championship 2007 which started from November 27 and that will continue till December 5.

Source: NEPS/www.e-pao.net

Hats off to NE sportspersons: the journey ahead

Like a ‘Lotus’ that blossoms above the muddy water, sportspersons from Northeast India have brought laurels for the country despite their troubled native places.

From legendary footballer Dr Talimeren Ao, Olympian weightlifter Kunjarani Devi (whose saluting of the tricolour during the medal ceremony in the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games evoked the supreme emotion of playing for the country), Dingko Singh (who became toast of the country after winning boxing gold in 1998 Bangkok Asian Games) to women world boxing champions Mary C Kom and Jenny Lalremliani, Baichung Bhutia -- football’s Sachin Tendulkar -- and archer Chekroverlu Swuro, the seven sisters (eight with Sikkim) have been the breeding ground for top sportspersons in India.

In football, Dr. Ao was the first captain of independent India's Olympic men’s football team. Now, five Manipuris are in the current national squad and Baichung Bhutia, a Sikkimese, is the captain and perhaps the most famous in history.

In hockey, Manipuris have been in the men’s and women’s national squads. Olympians Neelkamal Singh, Tiken Singh and Thoiba Singh have been household names in their days. Tingongleima Chanu, Suraj Lata Devi, Sanggai Chanu carried the legacy.

Archery has a big presence of northeasterners, from Assam’s world champion Jayant Talukdar, Sikkim’s Olympian Tarundeep Rai and Nagamese Chekroverlo Swuro to the latest Bombayla Devi of Manipur.

In weightlifting, go to any national championship. Half of women’s participants would be from the northeast, especially from Manipur, and they would turn out for other states -- Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu etc.

Manipuris also dominate the national scene in some other sports like sepaktakraw, fencing, baseball, wushu, canoeing and kayaking, judo etc.

Because of the natural talent the Northeasterners have for sports, I thought it high time that a blog dedicated to sports and sportspersons from this region should come up. That was my raison d’etre of authoring this blog. Hope the blogosphere has a place for these worthy sportspersons who are truly ‘Lotus in the Mud.’

Here, you will find important news/views on sporting events happening in Northeast India, on the performance of sportspersons from the region in events held anywhere inside and outside India, and the profiles of these sportspersons.

Image courtesy: rediff.com; tribuneindia.com