ITANAGAR, 4 Nov: The 37th National Games in Goa has been a historic event for Arunachal, with the state achieving its best-ever performance in the ongoing Games.
Arunachal has already surpassed its previous record of 7 medals (six gold and one silver) set during the previous edition of the Games in Gujarat, with a current tally of 13 medals, including six gold, 2 silver and five bronze medals to their names.
The state was at the 18th position in the table at the time of filing this report.
On Saturday, ace wushu player Onilu Tega won the state’s sixth gold medal in the women’s below 52 kg Sanda, chef de mission Bulang Marik informed.
Tega had also won a gold medal in the previous edition of the Games last year.
In boxing, Tai Tutu lost to Gayatri Kasnyal of Uttarakhand in the elite women’s bantam (52-54 kgs) weight category on Saturday, Marik said.
Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Mama Natung, Arunachal Olympic Association (AOA) president Taba Tedir, Sports Secretary Abu Tayeng and AOA secretary-general Bamang Tago congratulated all the medal winners for their excellent performance and wished them the best for their future endeavours.
Tedir, who is also the education minister, said that the athletes of the state, despite limited resources, performed exceptionally well in the Games. He expressed hope that the athletes from Arunachal would represent the country in the 2028 or 2032 Olympics.
Stating that infrastructure plays a crucial role in achieving excellence in sports, Tedir emphasised the need for creating more sports infrastructure in the state, along with creation of posts of coaches.
He also urged the authorities concerned to look into the diet and nutritional needs of the athletes, especially the promising ones, “or help them financially to see results.”
