Advisor Achumbemo Kikon urges young athletes to build discipline at the Under-14 Sepaktakraw tournament in Kohima.
KOHIMA — Advisor for the State Council of Educational Research and Training (SCERT) and Food Processing Achumbemo Kikon on Tuesday urged young athletes to cultivate discipline, control their temperament, and make the most of their sporting abilities, while also calling for a broader effort to improve the standard of public life and politics.
He was addressing the inaugural programme of the state-level Catch Them Young Under-14 Sepaktakraw Tournament organised by the Department of Youth Resources and Sports at the Indira Gandhi Stadium (IGS), Kohima.
Kikon said the younger generation would inherit the future and urged them to develop qualities that would help them succeed both in sports and in life.
He also spoke about the need to improve the standard of politics, saying that this would require people to introspect on how they approach elections.
"We must now elevate the standard of being a politician," he said, adding that if people wanted good politicians, they must also revisit how they approach the electoral process and examine whether elections were approached with the “proper state of mind” or influenced by other factors.
Highlighting the importance of sports, Kikon said Sepaktakraw had evolved over several centuries and had now reached Nagaland, providing an opportunity for young athletes to pursue the sport.
He cited the example of Cape Verde, which, despite its small population, reached the 2026 FIFA World Cup and faced defending champions Argentina in the knockout stage, losing the match 3-2 after extra time. Kikon said the example demonstrated that population size should not prevent a people from competing at the highest level.
"There is no dearth of capacity and ability with our people, we can make it," he said, challenging young athletes to believe in their abilities.
He, however, cautioned the participants against allowing anger and temperament to affect their performance. Kikon said losing focus during a match could give an opponent an advantage and urged the young players to learn to control their temper.
Senior Advisor of the All Nagaland Private Schools Association (ANPSA) Central, Pheluopfelie Kesiezie, said Sepaktakraw was relatively new to his generation and that many had not encountered the sport during their school days.
Citing neighbouring state Manipur, Kesiezie said the state had produced athletes who had represented India at the national and international levels and had also received a National Sports University. He said this should motivate Nagaland to identify sporting disciplines suited to its young athletes and invest in them.
Kesiezie urged Nagaland to identify sporting disciplines where physical attributes and reflexes could provide an advantage and said the foundation for such an effort should begin with young athletes.
"Under 14 is the best time, because at that time you can develop your skills," he said, urging the participants to make full use of the opportunity.
Earlier, Secretary to the Government of Nagaland for the Youth Resources and Sports Department Anthony Ngullie, in his welcome address, said the department was committed to encouraging and supporting young talented sportspersons.
A total of 15 boys' teams and 12 girls' teams are participating in the tournament.