Tura, Aug 18: The 2nd West Garo Hills District Badminton Championship came to a thrilling conclusion on Saturday at the Indoor Sports Hall in Hawakhana, Tura.
The three-day tournament, held from August 15 to 17, was organized by the Tura Badminton Association in collaboration with the District Sports Office, West Garo Hills and with the special monetary sponsorship received from the Chief Minister of Meghalaya.
The primary objective of the tournament was to provide a competitive platform exclusively for the badminton players residing within the jurisdiction of West Garo Hills District. Based upon their performance as an individual or as a team in their respective categories, a total of 23 players were shortlisted to represented the district at the upcoming 39th Meghalaya State Badminton Championship in Shillong scheduled to take place from August 28 to 31, 2024.
The tournament recorded an unprecedented 133 entries, with 110 high power matches played within the span of three days of the championship. However, only 102 players, comprising of 71 male and 31 female players, participated in the event, showcasing their best talents and note-worthy sportsmanship spirits in a highly competitive environment, under 21 different sub-categories, which included: Sr. Level Category for men and women (singles, doubles & mixed doubles); U-11 & U-13 (boys & girls singles), U-15, U-17 & U-19 for boys & girls (singles and doubles).
The closing ceremony on Saturday saw Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Conrad K Sangma, along with the Deputy Commissioner, West Garo Hills, Jagdish Chelani, and District Sports Officer, Tura, Saljagring M Marak, in attendance to witness the high-energy and thrilling finals. They also distributed awards to the winners and runners-up of the tournament.
Notably, the event also observed a two-minute of silence to pay homage to former Chief Minister of Meghalaya, Late. Salseng C. Marak, who passed away on August 16, 2024.
In his speech, Chief Minister, Conrad K Sangma, congratulated the young players who participated in the tournament and applauded them for their hard work and dedication towards the sport. He also expressed gratitude to the parents, thanking them for supporting their child into participating in the sport and said that along with academics, physical activities and sports are also important for a child’s overall growth and development.
Sangma also said that the expenditure put into sports is an investment not only in the medals won by the players as a result but an investment into the character building of the youth of the state and creating better citizens. “Every rupee we spend on sport has a positive impact on the character building of our youth and the results of that may not come in one tournament or it may not even come in one year or five years. The results will come in a lifetime because we are creating better citizens. We are investing in our youths, we are investing in our future,” he emphasized.
The last day of the tournament saw all the final matches of the various categories. An overall amount of Rs. 1 lakh was allotted to the winners and runners-up in the 21 different sub categories along with the trophy and certificate. A special award for the most promising talent was awarded to Zaayan Khan Islam and Amelia D Marak.
Also Read: Several Garo Hills hospitals suspend OPD services in solidarity with nationwide protest by IMA
Also Watch
