Nagaland, hosting South Asian Cross Country Championship and the 56th National Cross Country Championship.
State Nagaland is all set to host the South Asian Cross Country Championship and the 56th National Cross Country Championship at Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima, from twenty-sixth March 2022. It is a recognized event under the South Asian Athletic Association SAAF, the Athletic Federation of India, the Indian Olympic Association and the Ministry of Youth Resources and Sports.
Mr Abu Metha, the advisor of Nagaland chief minister and the vice president of Athletic Federation of India had announced to the media at Talimeren Conference hall at Nagaland Olympic Headquarters office, Kohima.
Abu Metha said that the Athletic Federation of India in its quest to promote athletics and sports all over the country and Northeast has decided to bring big-ticket events to develop the athletics and sports activities in the North East. He had stated that the foundation of any sport in any state, nation or place is athletics, a sportsperson cannot excel in any physical sport if they do not know how to run, how to throw or jump. He said that India is emerging as a sporting nation which is the aspiration of the Indian Olympic Association and the Athletic Federation Of India that India becomes a sporting superpower within the decade and the dream is coming true with every passing year.
He said that the event will flag off on the 26th March 2022 at Indira Gandhi Stadium, Kohima, where the participants will run a one-kilometre route in the same arena. Mr Abu Metha stated that the event will be Nagaland's biggest ever sporting event in the fifty-plus years of Nagaland statehood, Nagaland has not hosted any international event of this magnitude till now. He said that Kohima alone is not hosting this event, we should keep in mind that India is hosting the championship event, while Nagaland is doing India's duty to host the event.
We are looking forward to a successful, unique and very different championship compared to the others, and hope that it will be a grand success. Abu Metha further appealed to the citizens of Kohima for their support and participation in the event and make it a grand success as this event will propel the image of Nagaland as a Brand Nagaland and that it will be the role of our contribution towards the Nation-building process.
Participants are expected from every affiliated state of India, affiliated union territory, and also from the South Asian Athletic Association SAAF countries. The association also launched the Nagaland Athletics official kit for players.