The Assam Youth Olympics, 2022 - the six-day sporting extravaganza, has come to an end on Wednesday with a closing ceremony being held at Guwahati’s Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra.
As many as 4,200 athletes participated in the maiden sporting event spreading across more than 35 sports.
The event, organised & conducted by the Assam Olympic Association, under the aegis of Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, Government of Assam, was an attempt to provide a professional platform for the upcoming talent from the Grassroot levels to perform and excel for better sporting milestones in the future.
“Many talents - hence identified during the events - shall be honed & trained enabling them for better performance at both national & international sporting events in the future,” an official release stated.
The closing ceremony event was attended by state Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, with state minister Jogen Mohan, Guwahati Mayor Mrigen Sarania among others.
Other senior officials of the state government, members of the apex sporting bodies as well as the volunteers, support staff and public witnessed the closing ceremony held today.
Over 50,000 people attended the sporting event during these days across 13 venues in Guwahati where the games were held. The athletes came from all the 35 districts of Assam.
At the end of the Games, the Guwahati team reigned supreme at the medals tally with a whopping haul of 219 medals. The team won 74 Gold medals, 75 Silver medals and 70 Bronze medals, thereby sealing the top spot. Guwahati Sports District was adjudged Best District winning a prize money of Rs 1 Lakh.
The second spot was won by Sivsagar District team with a total haul of 69 medals including 25 Gold, 22 Silver and 22 Bronze medals. The Sivsagar District team was awarded a prize money of Rs 75,000 for their consistent performance during the event.
The third spot was secured by Dibrugarh with a total medal haul of 76 including 24 Gold, 23 Silver and 29 Bronze. The team was awarded a prize money of Rs 55,000 for their spirited performance.
Check the full medal tally count below -
Speaking on the occasion, CM Sarma said, “The Assam Youth Olympic has brought back the spirit of sportsmanship post COVID pandemic. The Commonwealth Games is starting from tomorrow. I extend my best wishes to all the players of the Indian contingent, especially those from Assam. Sports is one of the strongest mediums to unify the society. While sports has been part of our daily lives, it has now become a viable and good career option.”
“Lovleena, Hima Das, Ankushita Boro and many others have come from our villages. The Assam Youth Olympics will help scout similar talents from the grassroot level. The government is working together with the society to scout talent and train them. During the Government of Sarbananda Sonowal, for the first time, a sports policy was introduced. Following that, we are taking subsequent steps with an aim to build a strong sports environment. The government is working to build a well equipped stadium in all of our 126 constituencies. I want to thank and commend the Assam Olympic Association for taking the onus towards building a healthy and strong sporting environment. Sports plays a very important role in shaping a healthy thought process of the youth, away from negativities like the menace of drugs,” he further said.
Lauding the success of Assam Youth Olympics, Union Minister Sonowal, who is also the president of Assam Olympic Association (AOA), said, “Let me congratulate all the athletes and their support team for their exhilarating performance at this wonderful platform. Their performance gives us hope - of a faster, higher, stronger tomorrow. These games have not only given hope & a platform to the athletes from the grassroot to elevate their game for a better performance tomorrow, but it also gives a flip to the vision of Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi ji to build a sporting nation and one that celebrates sports. We all know how sports can help boost our physical and mental health. The success of Assam Youth Olympics can be seen in reinvigorated sporting environment in the state, swaying the youth towards the brighter positive side of life.”
It may be mentioned that this is the first time that state level olympic association has geared itself to scout the Grassroot talent through an extravagant sporting event that has provided a common platform for the players to showcase their talent and the apex sporting bodies to identify talent that can be groomed for future prospects at national and international level events.
