Our Correspondent
Imphal, May 11 (EMN): Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday said that his government is targeting to host matches of big football tournaments like Indian Super League (ISL) soon.
He informed that the state had started consulting experts to double the seat capacity of the main stadium of Khuman Lampak Sports Complex and upgrade its ground.
Speaking at the inaugural function of the 12th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women National Championship 2022 at Khuman Lampak Hockey Stadium in Imphal, Singh informed that the government would soon start construction of stadiums in six hill districts with an estimated cost of INR nine crore each.
The footballer turned chief minister also informed the young hockey players that Manipur, although being a small state, had produced 19 Olympians so far and as such, the state government had started construction of an Olympian Park in honour of their dedication and commitment in the field of sports.
In his speech, Manipur Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Govindas Konthoujam stated that Manipur had become one of the leading states in the field of games and sports. He said the state government was planning to promote hockey with better infrastructure in all 16 districts of the state.
President Gyanendro Ningombam of Hockey India, Principal Secretary (Sports) SS Chhabra, Basudev Singh, President of Manipur Hockey and other officials attended the programme.
Manipur trounced Kerala 9-0 in the opening match of the 12th Hockey India Sub-Junior Women National Championship 2022 played under the floodlights despite the seasonal downpour. Tanu Shorensangbar (three), K Sarmila (two), L Ritu(one), Dainali (one), Daina Ningombam (one) and Keisam Eleena (one) scored for the team.
Teams from 24 states and union territories including five teams from Northeast (Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, Tripura and Arunachal Pradesh) are participating in the championship. Matches will be played in daylight as well as under the flood light.
On May 12, Tamil Nadu will take on Arunachal Pradesh at 8 am followed by Punjab vs. Himachal Pradesh at 9:45 am and Bihar vs. Mizoram at 11:30 am, while Karnataka will play against Telangana at 6 pm and Assam will take on Maharashtra in their first match on May 13.
In the ongoing championship, the teams have been divided into eight pools - Pool A: Haryana, Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir; Pool B: Jharkhand, Manipur, Kerala; Pool C: Uttar Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Gujarat; Pool D: Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand; Pool E: Delhi, Maharashtra, Assam; Pool F: Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Arunachal Pradesh; Pool G: Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh; Pool H: Bihar, Karnataka, Mizoram and Telangana.
The quarter finals will be played on May 19, while the semi finals will be held on May 21.