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Vikeduo Linyü (second from left) along with the officials of Nurturing Excellence in Sports on Nov. 1 in Delhi.[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, Nov. 1: Opportunity for Naga athletes might be around the corner with the Nurturing Excellence in Sports Trust (Nest) announcing it will identify young athletes from the state for Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) on Nov. 16.
In an exclusive interaction with Eastern Mirror, senior joint secretary of Nagaland Athletic Association (NAA), Vikeduo Linyü confirmed that the opportunity was disclosed at a meeting with the Nest officials on Nov. 1 at Delhi.
It was a month back that the officials had came to Nagaland to discuss the matter of investing in young athletes from Nagaland, Linyü said. Consequently, the interaction had progress and Nest will be conducting athletics trials for Naga sportsmen on Nov. 16. At this, Linyü pointed out that such opportunity is the first of its kind in Nagaland. “We (NAA) are creating something.”
The criteria for the selection of players include age group from 15 to 17, and is limited only to the athletics players, he informed.
When asked about Nest’s interest in selecting athletes for ONGC, he said that Naga sportsmen are “doing well.” He went on to say that the athletes in the state are doing “very well especially in medium and long running” which, was manifested at the recently concluded North East Olympic in Imphal.
However, Linyü added that “it was not only about the last NE Olympic, but over the years, some were down the line and we are doing good.”
As for Nov. 16, the Nest officials will personally be present during the selection process. The selected players will be given necessary training and sponsorships. “They will take care of everything,” Linyü said.
It may be mentioned that ONGC have its presence in almost all the games and sports.
The application for the trial is open to all, yet “we are expecting about 300-400 players to apply for the trial on Nov 16,” he said.