DIMAPUR — The 1st Open Badminton Tournament, organised as part of the Aoleang Festival, was held at Badminton Stadium in Mon on Saturday.
It was organised by Mon District Badminton Association (MDBA) and Officers' Club Mon (OCM), with
Deputy Commissioner of Mon, Ajit Kumar Verma, as special guest.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]DC Mon expressed gratitude to the MDBA and Officers' Club for organising the tournament. He said every festival is linked to the economic life of the society, and some celebrate post-harvest and others pre-cultivation, marking the beginning of the session.
“So the Aoleang festival too is celebrated to mark the end of the year and invoke God’s blessing for the New Year,” he said, according to an update from DIPR. He told the youngsters that youth and sports are complementary to each other. ‘Enjoy, expose yourself, and develop yourself while playing,’ the DC added.
Delivering the keynote address, Tingten Konyak said badminton is one of the best games which has no age limitation. It also helps in developing health and the mind. He added that winning and losing are part of the game, and participating is very important. He encouraged the players to take such tournaments as an opportunity to get exposure and play with discipline and improve themselves.
Y Pongba, President of MDBA, gave the welcome note. He said Aoleang Monyu is the greatest festival and is as old as Konyak Nagas.
‘Today it is celebrated to remind the people of their own cultures, customs, traditions, and other practices so that the youngsters may keep on learning in the context of modern society,’ it stated.
Ajit Kumar Verma, declared open the 1st ever Open Badminton Tournament of Aoleang, while an exhibition match was played between OCM and MDBA.