The 1st Inter-Departmental Table Tennis Tournament concludes with NPWD winning the team event.
KOHIMA — The first Inter-Departmental Table Tennis Tournament, organised by the NIAPA Khelo India Centre, Chümoukedima, in collaboration with the Department of Youth Resources and Sports, concluded at the Indoor Stadium, Officers' Hill, Kohima, on Saturday.
Nagaland's Advisor for Youth Resources and Sports S Keoshu Yimkhiung attended the event as the special guest and called for greater focus on grassroots and age-group development in sports, highlighting the need to identify and nurture talented children from an early age.
Keoshu encouraged the organisers and departments to make such sporting activities a regular feature, with participation expanding every year and more disciplines included in the future.
He called for talented children to be identified and nurtured in the Under-10, Under-15, and Under-20 age groups, stating that these were crucial stages to mould their skills, build confidence, and provide proper coaching and exposure. A child playing table tennis at the age of eight, nine, or ten could become a national champion or international player a decade later, he said, adding that the champions of tomorrow are the children identified and supported today.
Also Read: 21 departments compete in Inter-Department Table Tennis Tournament
He also shared an experience from a visit to Thailand, where he visited a table tennis academy and met a young boy preparing to participate in the Under-10 World Cup Table Tennis Championship. He said he was impressed by the boy's preparation and confidence, as well as the commitment of his parents, who travelled more than 40 kilometres every day to take their child to the academy for training and bring him back home.
The experience, he said, made him realise that while talent may be given by nature, it can only become excellence through discipline, proper coaching, and continuous support. The advisor appealed to parents to support children who show talent in sports, acknowledging that such support requires time, financial commitment, travel, and personal sacrifices.
He said the Department of Youth Resources and Sports is working on plans and initiatives to provide deserving and talented athletes opportunities for advanced coaching and exposure outside the country.
“Our objective should not be limited to producing athletes who can win at the state level. We should aim higher and promote our athletes to compete at the national and international level,” he said.
Meanwhile, Akuonuo Khezhie Yhome, Managing Director and Proprietor of NIAPA and Khelo India Centre NIAPA Chümoukedima, in her closing remarks, thanked the players and officials for their sportsmanship and spirit throughout the tournament. She informed that 22 departments participated in the tournament, with 58 team matches comprising 174 total matches and 45 individual matches played before the finals.
In the singles category, Alberto LR Rauta from the Accountant General (AG) office secured the first position, winning INR 8,000, while Seyievilie Seyie from Youth Resources and Sports finished second, winning INR 5,000. Ihubuing Haikube from SIRD placed third, receiving INR 3,000.
In the team event, the Nagaland Public Works Department (NPWD), Office of the Engineer-in-Chief, secured the first position and a cash prize of INR 20,000. The Office of the Accountant General came second, winning INR 15,000, followed by the Department of Youth Resources and Sports in third place with INR 10,000, and the Directorate of Geology and Mining in fourth place with INR 5,000.