Nov 11, 2022: The 2nd edition of the North East Olympic Games (NEOG) 2022 kicked off with a grand spectacle on November 10 evening, in the presence of thousands of athletes and dignitaries from across the region at the SAI Training Centre, NEHU campus. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma lit the ceremonial lamp to officially launch the mega sporting event.
The Olympic torch was handed over to CM Sangma by Meghalaya runner Marso Kyndait, which was crafted in the traditional style using local materials. The CM placed it on a pedestal, where it will remain for the duration of the Games. The competition will end on November 16, 2022.
All eight Northeastern states are participating in the North East Olympic Games (NEOG) 2022: Meghalaya (Host), Assam, Nagaland, Mizoram, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, and Sikkim.
Over 3,000 athletes from the region will compete in 18 sports disciplines at 12 venues throughout Shillong.
Archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, boxing, football, judo, karate, shooting, swimming, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, wushu, cycling, golf, weightlifting, and wrestling are among the games’ disciplines.
Manipur hosted the first edition in 2018.
The Chief Minister of Meghalaya in his inaugural speech said that, “Meghalaya is celebrating 50 years of statehood and to mark this we have to celebrate the youth. We were firm to host the North East Olympic Games in Shillong in this very special year. We have always believed that the youth are the greatest strength of the nation. We have to help them channel their energy in positive ways and hence we wanted to this the North East Olympic Games. Sports is not only about results but the personality that develops, like how to learn from a loss, improving and playing fair.”
The opening ceremony included a variety of cultural and dance performances, as well as a musical evening attended by dignitaries from various parts of the Northeastern regions.
The event is co-organized by the Meghalaya government, the North East Olympic Association, and the Meghalaya State Olympic Association.
