The office of the District Sports Officer, East Jaintia Hills District in collaboration with the District Administration, East Jaintia Hills District, through the District Sports Promotion Society today felicitated all the State Level Medal Achievers of East Jaintia Hills District at the Inter School Athletics Meet 2025, at a programme held at the Conference Hall, office of the Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills District, Khliehriat.
The felicitation ceremony was graced by the Sutnga- Saipung MLA, Smti. Santa Mary Shylla as Chief Guest in the presence of the Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills District, Shri Shivansh Awasthi, IAS, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO)-Sadar, East Jaintia Hills District, Shri Manish Kumar, IAS, District Sports Officer, East Jaintia Hills District, Smt. S. M Rapsang, East Jaintia Hills District Sports Association members, Athletic Coaches, Athletes and others.
In her address, Sutnga-Saipung MLA, Smti. Santa Mary Shylla congratulated all the Medal Winners who brought laurels to the district and said that the felicitation serves as an important encouragement for the youth to move forward and strive for excellence even as she further stated that the District Administration and local representatives are working tirelessly to improve sports infrastructure in the district so that young athletes can further hone their talents.
Further, she also expressedconcern over the increasing social challenges affecting the youth particularly substance abuse and urged the gathering, especially the athletes to motivate their peers within thecommunity to engage in constructive activities such as sports, etcand informed the gathering that proposals are being made for the development of swimming pools in the district and also expressed her happiness with regards to the completion of the Squash Courtlocated in Khliehriat whose MoU for officially handing it over to East Jaintia Hills District Sports Association was signed today.
Smti. Shylla also urged upon the District Sport Office to conduct awareness programmes in villages to ensure that communities are informed about the sports opportunities available in the district and underscored that such initiatives are essential in preventing the youth from falling prey to drugs and to help them understand the achievements and efforts of local athletes who serve as inspirations to others.
Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner, East Jaintia Hills District, Shri Shivansh Awasthi, IAS in his address congratulated all the medal winners and expressed pride in their remarkable achievements at the state level. He stated that the programme serves as a gesture of appreciation from the district administration and is aimed at encouraging and motivating young athletes to continue striving for excellence even as he expressed optimism that the athletes will continue to bring laurels not only to the district but also to the state.
Shri Awasthi highlighted that Meghalaya being a young state places great emphasis on youth development and stressed the strong focus of the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Shri Conrad K Sangma on youth centric initiativesincluding skill development, employability and sport.
Furthermore, Shri Awasthi announced that the district is planning to organise the first- ever East Jaintia Hills District Games, tentatively scheduled for January or February 2026 with the event expected to feature around 12 sports disciplines and will serve as a platform for local athletes to compete and prepare for larger competitions, including the national Games 2027, which Meghalaya will host.
During the felicitation programme, cash awards were given to all the medal winners in the State Level Inter School Athletics Meet 2024-25 and the Athletics Coaches from the district.
The programme also featured the Signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the official handover of the Squash Court to the East Jaintia Hills District Sports Association, marking an important step towards strengthening sports infrastructure and promoting youth engagement in the district.
Post the programme, Sub-Divisional Officer (SDO)-Sadar East Jaintia Hills District, Shri Manish Kumar, IAS, along with other dignitaries inaugurated the Squash Court located near the residence of the Deputy Commissioner, Khliehriat
