Sports becomes a talking point for parties in militancy-hit Manipur this poll season

GUWAHATI: All the

Mary Koms

, Mirabais, Nilakantas and their likes from Manipur have caught the attention of the netas this election. Besides making promises of peace and development, politicians are also talking of powering this sports powerhouse of the country to the next level.

From deadly ambushes on Army convoys by numerous militant outfits of the state, one of which forms the opening of the Hindi movie ‘Uri”, to lengthy economic blockades and violent protests, Manipur has always been in the news for all the wrong reasons. In 2001, protesters had set ablaze the assembly secretariat in protest against the extension of the truce with NSCN (IM) to Naga-inhabited areas in Manipur.

But against all odds, Manipur never lost its sporting talents and this was the only sector in which the state grew day by day.

On Wednesday, Union home minister Amit

Shah

joined the campaigning in the state, which will go to the polls on February 28 and March 5. Apart from the usual stuff, he dwelt at length on sports.

Shah said PM Narendra Modi wants to make Manipur the best sports hub in the country, free the youths from drugs and arms and make them Olympic gold medal winners. He added, “A decision has been made to establish one Khelo India centre in each of the 16 districts of the state to tap local talents and provide them with a platform.”

Shah also announced that an “Olympic Park” spread over 10 acres will be built to provide training facilities to state-level players so that they become international athletes.

The Congress, too, has promised to provide super-specialty sports infrastructure and one community sports centre in each block, multi-sports facility in each district headquarters and make sports science a part of the curriculum.

Sending its boys and girls to every

Olympics

has become a habit for this small northeastern state. According to government of India’s record, Manipur has produced 19 Olympians in as many as five disciplines — hockey, boxing, weightlifting, judo and archery. In the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, five athletes from the state represented the country in hockey, boxing, weightlifting and judo.

Manipur’s journey to Olympics started with Pangambam Nilkamal, who was member of India’s men’s hockey team as the goalkeeper at Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.