Shillong, October 5: Meghalaya Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Wailadmiki Shylla on Monday said his recent visit to Japan was aimed at gaining exposure and learning from the organisation of major sporting events ahead of Meghalaya hosting the National Games in 2027.
Responding to claims that Meghalaya does not have athletes participating at the Asian level, Shylla said such assertions were incorrect and pointed out that the state has a blind para-athlete representing at the Asian Para Games.
However, he clarified that the Japan visit had nothing to do with the presence or absence of athletes from Meghalaya. “The visit was purely for exposure because next year we will be hosting the National Games, which is a big event,” Shylla told reporters.
The minister said the scale of the Asian Games and the National Games is comparable in terms of the number of participating athletes. “If you compare the Asian Games with the National Games, it is not much different in terms of the number of athletes, maybe a difference of 2,000 to 3,000,” he said.
According to Shylla, the delegation used the visit as an opportunity to study how large sporting events are prepared and managed. “We wanted to see the infrastructure, the arrangements and everything. We thought this was the best opportunity for us to go and learn from them,” he said.
The minister said the delegation included officials from the Sports Department as well as representatives of the Meghalaya State Olympic Association. He said the president and secretary of the association, along with the director, joint director and members of the technical team, were part of the visit so that they could collectively study areas where Meghalaya could improve its preparations. “There are so many things we could learn because this is a big event for us, especially for Meghalaya,” Shylla said.
He reiterated that the Japan visit was undertaken solely as an exposure and learning exercise to help the state prepare better for hosting the National Games 2027. Tighten the report for broadcast useReduce repetition about the Japan visit
