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The first ever Nagaland Olympic games started with a series of spectacular display at the DDSC stadium on Tuesday evening. Seen here are some of the eye-catching acts captured during the opening ceremony.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Dec. 12: After eight straight barren years – forced, by a curious combination of circumstances and geography, to transform into a playground for public rage on the streets – the city of Dimapur is playing host to a major sporting event. Finally.
The return of sport from the wilderness couldn’t have found a better reception than the one accorded at the opening ceremony of the first ever Nagaland Olympics at the Dimapur District Sports Council (DDSC) stadium on Tuesday evening.
The last time when Dimapur was involved in a sporting activity of this distinction was in late 2009 – when it hosted the inaugural event of Dr. T Ao football tournament for the Northeast states. The intervening years have barely seen any sporting activity of note in this commercial city – even while considering the blink-and-miss emergence of what was once called the Nagaland Premier League.
So, this sporting event – the first Nagaland Olympics – being hosted in Dimapur in so many ways represents more than just a mere landmark that needed crossing. This is an event that has brought together 1380 athletes from across the eleven districts of Nagaland to a common sporting battlefield. For the first time ever – just in case we ever needed reminding.
When put into context, it comes with the potential to be monumental if properly nurtured and pursued.
According to the organisers, this five-day sporting spectacle will be spread across four venues in Dimapur: Nagaland police complex at Chumoukedima, Tetso College, Niathu Resort and the Lawn Tennis centre at Kuda village.
The opening ceremony on Tuesday evening had the Governor of Nagaland, PB Acharya as chief guest. Also in attendance were the first Naga women Olympian, Chekrovolu Swuro; the first president of Nagaland Olympic Association (NOA), Lanu Toy; current president of NOA, Neiphiu Rio; and the grand-daughter of the first Naga Olympian, Dr. T Ao.
Notwithstanding a fairly lukewarm turnout – which in itself was not a bad thing considering the chill dragged in by an unseasonal downpour, and other night-time initiatives elsewhere in the city – the organisers managed to deliver a spectacular opening ceremony that was serially punctuated by refined displays as diverse as middle-aged Naga men bellowing the traditional Naga yodelling to teenagers on BMX cycles performing jaw-dropping somersaults.
However, the poignancy of the entire spectacle came from the most unexpected source. Ozzy Osbourne – a rock-star famous for starring in some of the most-hair-raising headline acts in the pop industry.
Before the opening ceremony was officially set in motion, the stage was given to one of the more popular rock bands to have emerged recently from Nagaland: Lords of Rock. After repeatedly covering Whitesnake and Guns N’ Roses, the band closed their performance with one of Ozzy’s more subdued deliveries:
Finally, a true sporting spectacle was home. And on Tuesday night at the DDSC stadium, it certainly felt like long time coming.