Oct 27: JCT Academy beat SFA XI 3-1
Sikkim Football Association (SFA) XI lost to JCT Academy, Phagwara, 1-3 in the inaugural match of the 29th All India Governor's Gold Cup football tournament at Paljor Stadium in Gangtok today.
Jagpreet Singh scored a brace for JCT, both from free kicks in the sixth and 29th minutes, while his teammate L Zira buttressed the lead in the 59th minute.
Dawa Lepcha managed to score a consolation goal for the home team in the 71st minute.
With this loss, the home team were knocked out of the tournament, while JCT Academy will face NRT Football Club from Nepal on October 1.
Assam State Electricity Board will take on Punjab Police tomorrow.
Six international teams -- Nigerian Eagles (an All-Nigerian team), top two clubs from Nepal (NRT and Three Star), two from Bangladesh (Chittagaon Abahoni and Badda Jagarani Sangshad) and Bhutan XI -- are among 16 teams vying for top honours.
Other notable teams are Punjab Police, Mumbai United, Assam State Electricity Board, Manipur XI and Tibetan National Football Association, besides JCT Academy and SFA XI.
However, football giants from Kolkata and Goa and defending champions Air India, Mumbai, are not taking part this year.
In view of the local public enthusiasm in the tournament, SFA has decided to open the hillside gallery of the stadium free for school students.
The final match of the knockout tournament will be held on Nove
Saturday, October 27, 2007
Nagaland Sports News
Dimapur district overall team champion:
Oct 26: Dimapur district emerged the overall team champion, athletics team champion as well as football (men) champion at the Inter-District Catch Them Young Football and Athletic Tournament 2007, which concluded at Indira Gandhi Stadium here today.
Winning 5 Gold, 4 Silver and 2 Bronze in athletics, Dimapur district was declared the athletics team champion while Phek district winning 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 3 Bronze has been declared athletics team runners-up.
In an exciting football final match, Dimapur district blanked Peren District 5-0 and walked away with a cash prize of Rs. 30,000 along with trophy and certificates. Peren District pocketed a cash prize of Rs. 20,000, besides its player Poudingai being declared the best player.
Vesatha of Phek district who bagged 2 Gold and Ngulieneinuo of Dimapur district who won 2 Gold and 1 Silver were declared best athletes among boys and girls respectively.
Medal Tally: (Athletics)
Dimapur: 5G 4S 2B; Phek: 4G 5S 3B; Tuensang: 1G 0S 1B; Kohima: 0G 1S 0B;
Mokokchung: 0G 1S 0B; Peren: 0G 0S 1B; Wokha: 0G 0S 1B; Zunheboto: 0G 0S 1B;
Kiphire: 0G 0S 0B; Longleng: 0G 0S 0B; Mon: 0G 0S 0B
Source: Morung Express
Oct 26: Dimapur district emerged the overall team champion, athletics team champion as well as football (men) champion at the Inter-District Catch Them Young Football and Athletic Tournament 2007, which concluded at Indira Gandhi Stadium here today.
Winning 5 Gold, 4 Silver and 2 Bronze in athletics, Dimapur district was declared the athletics team champion while Phek district winning 4 Gold, 5 Silver and 3 Bronze has been declared athletics team runners-up.
In an exciting football final match, Dimapur district blanked Peren District 5-0 and walked away with a cash prize of Rs. 30,000 along with trophy and certificates. Peren District pocketed a cash prize of Rs. 20,000, besides its player Poudingai being declared the best player.
Vesatha of Phek district who bagged 2 Gold and Ngulieneinuo of Dimapur district who won 2 Gold and 1 Silver were declared best athletes among boys and girls respectively.
Medal Tally: (Athletics)
Dimapur: 5G 4S 2B; Phek: 4G 5S 3B; Tuensang: 1G 0S 1B; Kohima: 0G 1S 0B;
Mokokchung: 0G 1S 0B; Peren: 0G 0S 1B; Wokha: 0G 0S 1B; Zunheboto: 0G 0S 1B;
Kiphire: 0G 0S 0B; Longleng: 0G 0S 0B; Mon: 0G 0S 0B
Source: Morung Express
Assam Sports News
Guwahai ODI tickets sales:
Oct 26: The first quota of tickets for the forthcoming ODI between India and Pakistan to be played on November 5 will be on sale from today. But these tickets will be exclusively for the different affiliated units of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA).
ACA has decided to shift the ticket counter for the general public from the RG Baruah Sports Complex to the Latasil Ground. But the officials of the different district associations will have to collect their quota of tickets from the RG Baruah Sports Complex.
ACA has in all 34 affiliated units and each district would be allotted 282 tickets. On earlier occasions, many district associations had not collected their entire quota but this time the scenario could be completely different as the demand for tickets is beginning to rise with every passing day. People are regularly thronging the RG Baruah Sports Complex for every detail of sale of tickets.
For this ODI, the number of free passes would be only 3500 and the ACA is thinking of providing one card to every former Ranji cricketer of the state.
GSA unhappy over ‘’insufficient’’ number of Indo-Pak ODI tickets:
Oct 26: The Guwahati Sports Association (GSA), the premier sports body of the state, has decided to surrender all the tickets and reception committee member cards which were allotted to them for the forthcoming India-Pakistan ODI – citing “insufficiency”.
GSA president Jatin Bora said that they were allotted 267 tickets and 13 RC cards by the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) which is not at all sufficient. Bora said the GSA has 60 clubs and around 150 members. So it will be a tough task to distribute the tickets and cards among the members. So they have decided to surrender all the tickets and passes to the ODI organisers.
On the other hand, ACA officials said they follow certain guidelines while distributing the tickets to its affiliated units. As they treat all the districts in same manner, they cannot increase the number of tickets to GSA.
Assam-Orissa CK Nayudu tie drawn:
Oct 26: The four-day East Zone CK Nayudu (Under-22) cricket match between Assam and Orissa ended in a draw at the Ispat Stadium, Rourkela today.
Assam were all out for 271 in the second innings, and requiring 42 in five overs for an outright victory, Orissa were 28 for four when the stumps were drawn.
Tejinder Singh scored 120 while Kuldip Pegu contributed 61 in Assam’s second innings.
For Assam Tejinder and Gakul Sharma took two wickets each in Orissa’s second innings.
With this performance, Tejinder’s prospects of making it to the state Ranji squad have brightened.
Brief scores: Assam - 227 and 271 (Tejinder Singh 120, Kuldip Pegu 61); Orissa - 457 for 7 decl and 28 for 4.
Assam U-15 cricket team named:
Oct 26: The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) today named the U-15 State team for the first two matches of the East Zone tournament for the Polly Umrigar Trophy.
The team: Gnan Boro (capt), Jyotiraditya Chetia, Himangshu Konwar, Subhankar Chakravorty, Manasjyoti Gogoi, Sanjaw Brahma, Babul Barman, Jogeswar Bhumij, Nodia Doley, Amlan Baruah, Paragjyoti Das, Prabal Borkotoki, Arpan Dutta, Bitu Ranjan Kalita, Dhritiman Gohain Dutta.
Subhrajit Saikia and Sanjit Das will accompany the team as coach and manager respectively.
Source: The Sentinel; The Assam Tribune
Oct 26: The first quota of tickets for the forthcoming ODI between India and Pakistan to be played on November 5 will be on sale from today. But these tickets will be exclusively for the different affiliated units of the Assam Cricket Association (ACA).
ACA has decided to shift the ticket counter for the general public from the RG Baruah Sports Complex to the Latasil Ground. But the officials of the different district associations will have to collect their quota of tickets from the RG Baruah Sports Complex.
ACA has in all 34 affiliated units and each district would be allotted 282 tickets. On earlier occasions, many district associations had not collected their entire quota but this time the scenario could be completely different as the demand for tickets is beginning to rise with every passing day. People are regularly thronging the RG Baruah Sports Complex for every detail of sale of tickets.
For this ODI, the number of free passes would be only 3500 and the ACA is thinking of providing one card to every former Ranji cricketer of the state.
GSA unhappy over ‘’insufficient’’ number of Indo-Pak ODI tickets:
Oct 26: The Guwahati Sports Association (GSA), the premier sports body of the state, has decided to surrender all the tickets and reception committee member cards which were allotted to them for the forthcoming India-Pakistan ODI – citing “insufficiency”.
GSA president Jatin Bora said that they were allotted 267 tickets and 13 RC cards by the Assam Cricket Association (ACA) which is not at all sufficient. Bora said the GSA has 60 clubs and around 150 members. So it will be a tough task to distribute the tickets and cards among the members. So they have decided to surrender all the tickets and passes to the ODI organisers.
On the other hand, ACA officials said they follow certain guidelines while distributing the tickets to its affiliated units. As they treat all the districts in same manner, they cannot increase the number of tickets to GSA.
Assam-Orissa CK Nayudu tie drawn:
Oct 26: The four-day East Zone CK Nayudu (Under-22) cricket match between Assam and Orissa ended in a draw at the Ispat Stadium, Rourkela today.
Assam were all out for 271 in the second innings, and requiring 42 in five overs for an outright victory, Orissa were 28 for four when the stumps were drawn.
Tejinder Singh scored 120 while Kuldip Pegu contributed 61 in Assam’s second innings.
For Assam Tejinder and Gakul Sharma took two wickets each in Orissa’s second innings.
With this performance, Tejinder’s prospects of making it to the state Ranji squad have brightened.
Brief scores: Assam - 227 and 271 (Tejinder Singh 120, Kuldip Pegu 61); Orissa - 457 for 7 decl and 28 for 4.
Assam U-15 cricket team named:
Oct 26: The Assam Cricket Association (ACA) today named the U-15 State team for the first two matches of the East Zone tournament for the Polly Umrigar Trophy.
The team: Gnan Boro (capt), Jyotiraditya Chetia, Himangshu Konwar, Subhankar Chakravorty, Manasjyoti Gogoi, Sanjaw Brahma, Babul Barman, Jogeswar Bhumij, Nodia Doley, Amlan Baruah, Paragjyoti Das, Prabal Borkotoki, Arpan Dutta, Bitu Ranjan Kalita, Dhritiman Gohain Dutta.
Subhrajit Saikia and Sanjit Das will accompany the team as coach and manager respectively.
Source: The Sentinel; The Assam Tribune
Assam boy breaks national school record
Jorhat schoolboy Bhargav Phukan smashed the national record in the 50-metre breaststroke event in the under-14 boys’ category to clinch his second gold at the 53rd National School Games which began at Surat on October 24.
Bhargav clocked 33.60 seconds to break the previous record set by J Agenshwa of Tamil Nadu in 2003.
The Jorhat lad claimed his first gold on October 25 in the 100-metre breaststroke event in the same category by clocking 1:15:97 minutes. He bettered the earlier record set by Sanjib Chatterjee (1:16:13 minutes) in 1997.
Earlier, Sumi Buragohain bagged the gold in the 200-metre breaststroke event in the Under-19 girls’ category on the inaugural day of the national school meet.
Bhargav clocked 33.60 seconds to break the previous record set by J Agenshwa of Tamil Nadu in 2003.
The Jorhat lad claimed his first gold on October 25 in the 100-metre breaststroke event in the same category by clocking 1:15:97 minutes. He bettered the earlier record set by Sanjib Chatterjee (1:16:13 minutes) in 1997.
Earlier, Sumi Buragohain bagged the gold in the 200-metre breaststroke event in the Under-19 girls’ category on the inaugural day of the national school meet.
Manipur Snippets
October 27:
Cyclists selected for Asia Cup:
Cycling Federation of India has included N Chaoba Devi and H Tombisana Devi in the national team for the Track Asia Cup, Manipur Cycling Association said.
Netball trials:
A trial cum coaching programme to select state boys and girls team for the 21st Junior National Netball Championships at Ahmedabad will be held from 7 am on October 28 at Kongba OLA Ground, Manipur Netball Association said.
The players are instructed to report to coach L Modhubala Devi.
Source: The Sangai Express
Cyclists selected for Asia Cup:
Cycling Federation of India has included N Chaoba Devi and H Tombisana Devi in the national team for the Track Asia Cup, Manipur Cycling Association said.
Netball trials:
A trial cum coaching programme to select state boys and girls team for the 21st Junior National Netball Championships at Ahmedabad will be held from 7 am on October 28 at Kongba OLA Ground, Manipur Netball Association said.
The players are instructed to report to coach L Modhubala Devi.
Source: The Sangai Express
Manipur beat Karnataka 2-0 in U-13 Girls Football Festival
A brace from Lhingnei Kim helped Manipur defeat Karnataka 2-0 in the Format-I AIFF Under-13 Girls Football Festival 2007 at Bhubaneswar on October 25.
Lhingnei Kim had also scored two goals in Manipur's 3-2 triumph over host Orissa on October 24.
Goa will be the next opponents.
Sixteen teams are participating in the festival organised by Orissa Football Association at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar. The objective behind starting U-13 Girls Football festival is to promote girl’s football at the grassroots level.
Talented players will be spotted by the spotters from the Festival and special coaching camps will be organised for their training and development. The festival will end on October 31.
The participating states are Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh,
Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Orissa, Punjab, Uttaranchal, Pondicherry, Uttar Pradesh
In 2009, India U-14 Girls’ team will participate in AFC U-14 Girls’ football festival to be organised by Asian Football Confederation.
Source: The Sangai Express; the-aiff.com
Lhingnei Kim had also scored two goals in Manipur's 3-2 triumph over host Orissa on October 24.
Goa will be the next opponents.
Sixteen teams are participating in the festival organised by Orissa Football Association at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneshwar. The objective behind starting U-13 Girls Football festival is to promote girl’s football at the grassroots level.
Talented players will be spotted by the spotters from the Festival and special coaching camps will be organised for their training and development. The festival will end on October 31.
The participating states are Bihar, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Chandigarh,
Karnataka, Kerala, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Orissa, Punjab, Uttaranchal, Pondicherry, Uttar Pradesh
In 2009, India U-14 Girls’ team will participate in AFC U-14 Girls’ football festival to be organised by Asian Football Confederation.
Source: The Sangai Express; the-aiff.com
Bombayla Devi wins gold in Asian Archery Grand Prix
Manipur’s Laishram Bombayla Devi bagged a gold in the FITA Olympic Round competition of the 3rd Asian Grand Prix Archery Championship in Tehran on October 25.
Bombayla tallied 110 points in the final round to pip her nearest rival from Jordan by seven points for the title triumph in the competition which began on October 20.
She had already earned a Beijing Olympic berth in the FITA recurve individual event as well in the team event along with Nagaland’s Chekrovolu Swuro and Bengal’s Dola Banerjee.
Bombayla became the first Manipuri girl to have won a senior national archery title in February 2006.
Source: The Sangai Express
Bombayla tallied 110 points in the final round to pip her nearest rival from Jordan by seven points for the title triumph in the competition which began on October 20.
She had already earned a Beijing Olympic berth in the FITA recurve individual event as well in the team event along with Nagaland’s Chekrovolu Swuro and Bengal’s Dola Banerjee.
Bombayla became the first Manipuri girl to have won a senior national archery title in February 2006.
Source: The Sangai Express
Image courtesy: telegraphindia.com
Friday, October 26, 2007
Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup from Oct. 27
The All India Governor’s Gold Cup, one of the premier national level football tournaments in the Northeast, begins at the picturesque Palzor Stadium at Gangtok on October 27 with 17 teams from India, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh taking part.
Nigerian Eagles, Bhutan XI, two clubs each from Nepal and Bangladesh, Mumbai United, Punjab Police, JCT ‘A’ team and Tibetan National Football Association have confirmed participation.
However, Sikkim’s most famous footballer Baichung Bhutia and his team Mohun Bagan will once again give the tournament a miss because of national duties and Kolkata League.
Baichung, a product of Sikkim Football Association’s (SFA) talent nurturing system, has never played at Palzor Stadium.
Launched in 1979, the tournament has been running without any interruptions for the last 27 years. No other tournament in the country can boast of such a record.
'Gold Cup' for the locals, the tournament is like a festival in Sikkim and Gangtok comes alive during the period. Government employees are allowed to go and watch the matches and it is truncated classes for the schools and colleges for the entire duration of the tournament.
This is one tournament the people of Sikkim don't miss for anything. The die-hards wait throughout the year for the Gold Cup to start.
The local talents also get an opportunity to showcase their skills as the state league champions and knockout tournament (Independence Cup) winners get a berth in the Gold Cup along with a selected SFA team.
Sanju Pradhan and Nirmal Chettri was picked from Sikkim Sports Academy by Air India after reaching the semi-finals.
Baichung was first picked up by East Bengal after being spotted from this tournament and rest, as they say, is history.
All Time Winners and Runners-Up List:
1979: GMC, Gangtok; BSF
1980: Mohammedan; Rajasthan Club, Calcutta
1981: Mafatlal, Mumbai; ITI
1982: Punjab Police; PSEB
1983: Punjab Police; Thimpu XI, Bhutan
1984: Mohun Bagan & Jamshedpur XI (joint winners)
1985: Mohun Bagan; Mohammedan
1986: Mohun Bagan; Mohammedan
1987: Sesa, Goa; Mohammedan
1988: JCF, Nepal; Eastern Command
1989: Mohun Bagan; Mohammedan
1990: RNAC, Nepal; Bank of India
1991: Mohun Bagan; Mohammedan
1992: Mohun Bagan; Mukti Joddha, Bangladesh
1993: Rising Star; VSC, Bangladesh
1994: Mohun Bagan; Army XI
1995: Punjab Police; Mohun Bagan
1996: Air-India; Mohun Bagan
1997: All-Nepal FA XI; East Bengal
1998: All-Nepal FA XI; Army XI
1999: Army XI; Kerala Police
2000: Mohun Bagan; Air-India
2001: Mohun Bagan; Arambagh Krira Chakra
2002: Border Security Force; Arambagh Krira Chakra
2003: Tata Football Academy; Air-India
2004: EverReady; All-Nepal FA XI
2005: BSF; TFA
2006: Air-India; Army XI
Nigerian Eagles, Bhutan XI, two clubs each from Nepal and Bangladesh, Mumbai United, Punjab Police, JCT ‘A’ team and Tibetan National Football Association have confirmed participation.
However, Sikkim’s most famous footballer Baichung Bhutia and his team Mohun Bagan will once again give the tournament a miss because of national duties and Kolkata League.
Baichung, a product of Sikkim Football Association’s (SFA) talent nurturing system, has never played at Palzor Stadium.
Launched in 1979, the tournament has been running without any interruptions for the last 27 years. No other tournament in the country can boast of such a record.
'Gold Cup' for the locals, the tournament is like a festival in Sikkim and Gangtok comes alive during the period. Government employees are allowed to go and watch the matches and it is truncated classes for the schools and colleges for the entire duration of the tournament.
This is one tournament the people of Sikkim don't miss for anything. The die-hards wait throughout the year for the Gold Cup to start.
The local talents also get an opportunity to showcase their skills as the state league champions and knockout tournament (Independence Cup) winners get a berth in the Gold Cup along with a selected SFA team.
Sanju Pradhan and Nirmal Chettri was picked from Sikkim Sports Academy by Air India after reaching the semi-finals.
Baichung was first picked up by East Bengal after being spotted from this tournament and rest, as they say, is history.
All Time Winners and Runners-Up List:
1979: GMC, Gangtok; BSF
1980: Mohammedan; Rajasthan Club, Calcutta
1981: Mafatlal, Mumbai; ITI
1982: Punjab Police; PSEB
1983: Punjab Police; Thimpu XI, Bhutan
1984: Mohun Bagan & Jamshedpur XI (joint winners)
1985: Mohun Bagan; Mohammedan
1986: Mohun Bagan; Mohammedan
1987: Sesa, Goa; Mohammedan
1988: JCF, Nepal; Eastern Command
1989: Mohun Bagan; Mohammedan
1990: RNAC, Nepal; Bank of India
1991: Mohun Bagan; Mohammedan
1992: Mohun Bagan; Mukti Joddha, Bangladesh
1993: Rising Star; VSC, Bangladesh
1994: Mohun Bagan; Army XI
1995: Punjab Police; Mohun Bagan
1996: Air-India; Mohun Bagan
1997: All-Nepal FA XI; East Bengal
1998: All-Nepal FA XI; Army XI
1999: Army XI; Kerala Police
2000: Mohun Bagan; Air-India
2001: Mohun Bagan; Arambagh Krira Chakra
2002: Border Security Force; Arambagh Krira Chakra
2003: Tata Football Academy; Air-India
2004: EverReady; All-Nepal FA XI
2005: BSF; TFA
2006: Air-India; Army XI
Source: Sikkim Times
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Three from NE in India U 16 football squad
Three players from the Northeast figure in the 23-member Indian squad for the AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers to be held at Dammam in Saudi Arabia from October 27 to November 7.
The three are: Ashish Chhetri and Bijendra Rai from Sikkim and Malswamfela from Mizoram.
Placed in Group C along with Bhutan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Sri Lanka, India start their campaign on October 27 against Sri Lanka, followed by matches against Iraq (October 30), Lebanon (November 1), Saudi Arabia (November 4) and Bhutan (November 7). Two teams will qualify from each group for the final round to be held in 2008.
India is hoping to beat either Iraq or Saudi Arabia to have any chance of making to the final round.
The squad left Mumbai on October 24 night for Saudi Arabia.
The Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh (Chandigarh), Harshad Meher (Maharashtra), Prseley Menezes (Goa).
Defenders: Tanmoy Ghosh (Bengal), Ashish Chhetri (Sikkim), Bikash Gulia (Haryana), Vishal Kumar (Karnataka), Deepak Debrani (Delhi), Ajit Bhoir (Maharashtra), Ashpreet Singh (Chandigarh).
Midfielders: Bijendra Rai (Sikkim), Lalrimdika (Bengal), Milan Singh (Jharkhand), Akshay Mall (Gujarat), Shilton D’Silva (Maharashtra), Bikramjit Singh (Chandigarh), Tirthankar Sarkar (Bengal), Subhojit Majumdar (Bengal).
Forwards: Manandeep Singh (Haryana), Malswamfela (Mizoram), Prem Kumar (Punjab), Vivek Kumar (Haryana), Abhishek Das (Jharkhand).
Officials: Colm Joseph Toal (Chief Coach), Sanjoy Sen (Coach), Narayana Menon (Coach), Amit Kumar (Physiotherapist), Tanumoy Basu (GK Coach), Ankur Dutta (Manager)
India’s Fixture:
Oct 27: vs Sri Lanka; Oct 30: vs Iraq; Nov 1: vs Lebanon; Nov 4: vs Saudi Arabia; Nov 7: vs Bhutan
The three are: Ashish Chhetri and Bijendra Rai from Sikkim and Malswamfela from Mizoram.
Placed in Group C along with Bhutan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Sri Lanka, India start their campaign on October 27 against Sri Lanka, followed by matches against Iraq (October 30), Lebanon (November 1), Saudi Arabia (November 4) and Bhutan (November 7). Two teams will qualify from each group for the final round to be held in 2008.
India is hoping to beat either Iraq or Saudi Arabia to have any chance of making to the final round.
The squad left Mumbai on October 24 night for Saudi Arabia.
The Squad:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh (Chandigarh), Harshad Meher (Maharashtra), Prseley Menezes (Goa).
Defenders: Tanmoy Ghosh (Bengal), Ashish Chhetri (Sikkim), Bikash Gulia (Haryana), Vishal Kumar (Karnataka), Deepak Debrani (Delhi), Ajit Bhoir (Maharashtra), Ashpreet Singh (Chandigarh).
Midfielders: Bijendra Rai (Sikkim), Lalrimdika (Bengal), Milan Singh (Jharkhand), Akshay Mall (Gujarat), Shilton D’Silva (Maharashtra), Bikramjit Singh (Chandigarh), Tirthankar Sarkar (Bengal), Subhojit Majumdar (Bengal).
Forwards: Manandeep Singh (Haryana), Malswamfela (Mizoram), Prem Kumar (Punjab), Vivek Kumar (Haryana), Abhishek Das (Jharkhand).
Officials: Colm Joseph Toal (Chief Coach), Sanjoy Sen (Coach), Narayana Menon (Coach), Amit Kumar (Physiotherapist), Tanumoy Basu (GK Coach), Ankur Dutta (Manager)
India’s Fixture:
Oct 27: vs Sri Lanka; Oct 30: vs Iraq; Nov 1: vs Lebanon; Nov 4: vs Saudi Arabia; Nov 7: vs Bhutan
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
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.
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
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