Dimapur, Oct. 13 (EMN): The first inter-college/university annual sports event ‘St Joseph Trophy’ organised by St. Joseph University, Nagaland, commenced on Thursday at the university campus.
An update informed that the event was organised to foster a feeling of unity and sportsmanship among the student community and to create a healthy spirit of competition among higher educational institutions within Nagaland.
“The sporting event has been planned for three days where sports such as football, basketball and volleyball will be played among the 16 colleges and universities that had registered for the competition,” it stated.
Associate vice president of Athletics Federation of India and secretary general of Nagaland Olympic Association, Abu Metha, was the special guest in the inaugural ceremony and Dr. John Murry the special invitee.
Abu Metha, who is also advisor to the chief minister, in his address extended greetings from the office of the chief minister and also expressed gratitude to the Catholic community for their innumerable service in all spheres of life.
He emphasised how sports and games have changed in the present times and how sports now require professionalism and can be pursued as a vocation.
According to Metha, sports have a unifying power to bring people together.
He exhorted the students to aspire and to work hard towards their goals. He also offered a suggestion to the management to look into the probability of opening an official department of Sports Science which would be a first in the state.
He assured that the state government and NOA would extend support to make the university a centre of sports in the state, it stated.