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Mizoram policy aims to make sports big industry

By Correspondent

AIZAWL, May 15 - The ambitious sports policy of the Mizoram Government aims to turn sports into a major industry, State Sports Minister Robert Romawia Royte has said.

Addressing a consultation meeting of stakeholders on the Mizoram sports policy, Royte said making Mizoram the first State to make sports a revenue-earning subject is one of the basic objectives of the policy which, he said, would be rolled out within 365 days from the day the MNF Government assumed office.

Royte, who is a sports enthusiast and president of the I-League champion Aizawl Football Club, said here recently that Mizoram has no dearth of talents in different sports disciplines.

�Reorganisation and promotion of those disciplines recognised by the International Olympic Committee as well those indigenously practised and regarded as culturally and intrinsically important by the locals are also among the objectives of the policy,� he said.

Restructuring of the sports associations and bodies within the State will also come under the ambit of the sports policy.

Royte said the sports policy aims to develop sports into a lucrative profession in Mizoram, and to start with, a centre of excellence would be established at Siaha for young talents who aspire to build a career in boxing. Similar facilities for other sports disciplines would follow, he added.

�When we focus on a particular sports discipline, we abandon some disciplines in which Mizo sportspersons had excelled in the past. We also came to realise that Mizos are good at certain sports disciplines when our players win medals at the international level. We should give equal importance to smaller disciplines like weightlifting, discus throw, javelin throw, long jump, racing and others,� he said. He added that to explore hidden talents in all sports disciplines, the Mizoram Government has approved of the Mizoram State Games, an annual event, for which Rs 150 lakh has been allocated this year.

The consultation meeting at the Dawrpui Multipurpose Hall here was attended by different sports associations.

Presently, there are 34 sports associations registered and recognised by the State�s Sports department. Some of these associations are representatives of those sports confined only within the State or played by the Mizo tribes elsewhere.

During the consultation, broad principles of the policy were highlighted by officials from the Department of Sports and Youth Services. This was followed by discussions and suggestions. The entire process was recorded by representatives from the draft committee of the Sports Policy of Mizoram 2019 under the chairmanship of Zothanmawia, Director, Sports and Youth Services.

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