Games fever grips Shillongites

A REPORTER

SHILLONG, Feb 5: The people of Shillong are filled with excitement as the city prepares for the opening ceremony of the 12th South Asian Games, Shillong leg here on Saturday. The games have generated vast amounts of eagerness among everybody in the especially the youths of the State.

The 12th South Asian Games (SAG), 2016 a multi-sport event, is the regiol Games of the Olympic Council of Asia being co-hosted by Shillong and Guwahati.

The Chief Minister Mukul Sangma on his visit to the game venues had expressed that Shillong is ready for the 12th South Asian Games (SAG), while also revealing that Meghalaya is preparing to bid to be the host of the tiol Games in 2022.

A college student while speaking with this scribe said “It’s really a proud moment for our State to host such a big sport event and I can’t wait for the games to filly start.”

“In the past couple of months there have been many concerns over the game venues in Shillong and talks about Badminton to be shifted to Guwahati, but that didn’t happen and now I and my family are excited to go and watch the games,” she said.

It may be reminded that badminton has been shifted from Shillong due to the shortcoming in the warm up area for the shuttlers at the NEHU, SAI indoor facility, which was scheduled to host the event, however Shillong retained it right to host the event after the State had threatened to pull out of the SAG if the badminton event is shifted from Shillong to Guwahati.

Another youth said, with the games coming to Shillong it will help generate more tourists for the State and it will also benefit the residents of the city.

“The games will also serve as a source of encouragement for the youths in the State who aspires to one day reach, the same heights as some of the star India athletes representing the country in the South Asian Games,” he said.