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DIMAPUR — Pencak Silat is set to make its debut in the 3rd edition of the Nagaland Olympic and Paralympic Games (NOPG) 2024, with a total of 72 senior category players slated to participate in the two-day Pencak Silat competition.
Khevishe Sema, president of the Nagaland Pencak Silat Association and member of the organising committee for the NOPG 2024, made the announcement during a press conference at the Tourist Lodge Dimapur on Sunday.
A team of 14 officials is set to officiate the Pencak Silat competition, which is scheduled to take place on February 15 and 16. It also coincides with the 5th anniversary of the Nagaland Pencak Silat Association, which was formed on February 15, 2019, he said.
On the inaugural day of the competition, Khevishe said that the proceedings would commence at 10 am with an opening ceremony, coinciding with the anniversary and further mentioned that Zasivikho Zakiesato, the Chairman of Dimapur Urban Council Federation, agreed to attend the occasion as the chief guest.
Khevishe acknowledged in his address the Chairman of IDAN and the Secretary General of the Nagaland Olympic Association, Abu Metha, the staff of the Nagaland Olympic Association, and the Advisor of Youth Resources and Sports, Keoshu Yimchunger, for their continued support and interest in providing Pencak Silat players with a stage to participate.
During the press conference, Khevishe also mentioned that the Nagaland Pencak Silat Association held a meeting with the North-East Pencak Silat Federation at Tourist Lodge Dimapur to prepare for the upcoming North-East Olympic Games 2024, scheduled to be held in Nagaland from March 18 to 23.
The Nagaland Olympic Association will host this event in collaboration with the North-East Olympic Association and the Department of Youth Resource and Sports, he said, adding that the meeting was attended by representatives from Assam, Arunachal, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura.
The association expressed gratitude to Neiphiu Rio, the Chief Minister of Nagaland and president of the Nagaland Olympic Association, for recognising and including Pencak Silat in the NOPG 2024 and North-East Olympic Games 2024.
It may be mentioned that in the 2023 National Games held in Goa, fully sponsored by the Nagaland Olympic Association and the Department of Youth Resource and Sports, the Nagaland team secured one gold, one silver, and one bronze in the team event.
Additionally, at the All India Inter-University Games hosted by Guru Nanak University, Amritsar, in 2024, the Nagaland contingent, sponsored by Nagaland University, clinched one gold, one silver, and three bronze medals.