SHILLONG, Oct 29 - Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports, Sarbananda Sonowal today inaugurated the 12th South Asian Federation (SAF) Games Secretariat at the Polo Ground here.
The Secretariat would oversee the smooth functioning of the SAF Games and would be housed at the Tennis Complex at the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex.
Stating that Shillong always carries a special status in the sports map of India, the Union Minister said that �we should jointly take up the responsibility and make good use of the opportunity to make this grand event a success.�
He also said that the SAF Games will benefit the budding talents of the country especially from the North Eastern Region as this is a platform for those youths who want to excel in the area of sports.
Out of the 23 sports disciplines in the SAF Games, 7 disciplines will be held in Shillong while the other 16 disciplines will be held at Guwahati. This is the first time that such a mega event of International level is taking place in North East India and would begin on February 6 to 16 next year.
Meanwhile, the Union Minister attended a review meeting on preparedness by the State Government for the Games and said he is satisfied with the efforts.
�Meghalaya Government has put in all efforts to prepare the infrastructure for the Games,� he said adding, the State Government should prepare the entire necessary infrastructure for the Games by December 15 this year.
