- DIU —
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his video message during the inauguration of
the first edition of the Khelo India Beach Games, spoke about the
transformative power of sports, saying the KIBG would become a milestone in
India’s sporting history.
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- Puleno Neikha, coach of Nagaland’s women’s sepak takraw team,
wholeheartedly echoes PM Modi’s sentiments. According to her, the impact of
sports has already begun to show in her state over the past few years, and this
remarkable initiative by the Government of India will now open up new avenues
of opportunity for Nagaland girls.
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- Sepak takraw is the most prevalent and popular sport in
Nagaland. It was introduced in the state in 1995 as a recreational activity,
initiated by physical education teacher Holse Khario and supported technically
by the Sports Authority of India. Since then, sepak takraw has come a long way
in Nagaland, with a large number of boys and girls now registered in the sport.
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- Since 2004, the state government has made special
arrangements for training in sepak takraw in Dimapur. Coach Puleno, herself a
former national-level player and a women’s team coach at the 2018 Asian Games,
currently trains girls at this academy. Six girls of her team are currently
serving in the Nagaland Police and most importantly, three of whom got their
jobs because of their achievements in sepak takraw.
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Beach-bound
- “Our girls have won medals at every level. We won the bronze
medal in the first edition of Khelo India Beach Games. Before that, we won
medals at the Goa National Games and again this January at the senior
nationals. In addition, our boys and girls won multiple medals at the Khelo
India Youth Games held in Bihar. Our players have been consistently winning
medals at all Khelo India events. Now that the Government of India has launched
the Beach Games, I believe this will open up new doors of opportunity for our
children,” Puleno told SAI Media.
