Tura: The 5th Meghalaya Games came to a grand conclusion at the iconic PA Sangma Stadium in Tura on Saturday evening, with the announcement of the next edition of the games moving to West Jaintia Hills.
The 6-day mega sporting event was held in 23 disciplines across 16 venues. East Khasi Hill emerged as the overall champion of this year’s Games by winning a staging 359 medals of which 132 were gold, 105 were silver and 122 were bronze. At the second spot was Ri Bhoi with 79 medals, which included 27 gold, 22 silver and 30 bronze medals. The third spot was taken by West Jaintia Hills with 68 medals – 25 gold, 18 silver, 25 bronze. The fourth sport went to West Garo Hills with 73 medals, which included 17 gold, 17 silver and 39 bronze.
Addressing the athletes, officials and the general public gathered at the venue, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma announced that the next edition of the Meghalaya Games would be held in Jowai, West Jaintia Hills district.
In addition, he announced the start of a new tradition in the State, the first of which took place on Saturday itself, the Meghalaya Day celebration. CM Sangma announced that, henceforth, it will become a tradition that the conclusion of the Meghalaya Games will coincide with the Meghalaya Day. On Saturday, the 52nd anniversary of Meghalaya was celebrated at Tura in the morning and the closing ceremony of the 5th Meghalaya Games took place in the evening. Therefore, Jowai will also be hosting the next Meghalaya Day celebration.
Talking about the government’s thrust to youth, CM Sangma said, “Youth has always been at the center of the strategy and policy for our government. And this is evident from the kind of focus and the kind of importance that we have given to different aspects of the youth like sports. As was mentioned many times before, this particular game is the fifth edition in the history of our state but more importantly, three out of the five were held during the time of this government. Hence, it reflects the importance that we give to sports.”
Earlier, Sports Minister Shakliar Warjri commended the athletes for their dedication and sportsmanship.
“Witnessing the passion and commitment of our athletes in the 5th Meghalaya Games has been truly inspiring. Their achievements reflect their prowess as well as the collective strength of Meghalaya’s sporting spirit. With confidence, we believe that those who witnessed these athletes may one day see them represent India on the global stage,” he said.
It is to be mentioned here that the 5th Meghalaya Games was inaugurated by the President of India Droupadi Murmu on January 15, 2024, making it the first sporting event in the history of the State to be opened by the Head of the State. This was also the first time that the games were held in Shillong. Similarly, it was the first time that the Meghalaya Games included traditional indigenous games in its list of events.
