Manipur will field a strong contingent of 385 players in the forthcoming 37th National Games 2023 in Goa which will be held from October 25 to November 9 at the coastal state.
Out of the 49 sports disciplines to be competed in the Games, Manipur will participate in 27 disciplines as far as eligibility is concerned.
Throwing some light on the Manipur contingent, MOA Secretary General, Sunil Elangbam while speaking to media at Olympic Bhavan on Saturday evening said, the total strength of Manipur contingent is 556 while 385 are players and rest are team officials plus support staff.
This is a big contingent as compared to the last edition of the Games at Gujarat, especially after addition of Penkak Silat and Sepak Takraw disciplines, which boosted our players' participation. The more we represented, the more hopeful our medal prospect, Sunil Elangbam said.
He further said, Manipur will participate in the event of Weightlifting, Wushu, Judo, Penkak Silat, Yogasana, Wrestling, Triathlon, Aquatics, Rowing (Coastal/Tidal Sports), Fencing, Athletics, Gymnastic, Boxing, Rowing, Canoe & Kayaking, Shooting, Football(M), Handball(W), Sepak Takraw, Cycling (Road Race), Taekwondo, Archery, Squash, Lawn Bowls, Football(W), Golf and Cycling(Track Race).
Sunil added that 'We are trying to cope with the difficulty faced by players as well the general public of the state due to the present turmoil and work to our best ability not to disheartened our players and give them their due as they have worked hard for the mega event from the long run'.
The Manipur Olympic Association has already approached the State Government with a budget proposal of Rs 2.85 crore for the sports clothing and travel expenses.
For the smooth conduct of the Manipur contingent, the MOA has appointed Bobby Waikhom, as Chef-De-Mission while N Phoni Singh, T Dushanta Singh as Deputy Chef-De-Mission. A Johnson and Kirankumar Thangjam as Coordinators and M Rachandra Singh as Liaison Officer.
