Agartala 18 Jan, 2025: Tripura is in no way lagging behind other northeastern states when it comes to sports. To identify talented athletes from rural areas, the Department of Youth Affairs and Sports has taken a special initiative. As part of the Chief Minister’s Talent Search Scheme, the Sports Talent Search Scheme 2024-25 will commence across the state from February 1. Children under the age of 10 and 14 will participate in football, kabaddi, kho-kho, and athletics. This was announced by the Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, Tinku Roy, at a press conference held today at the Sonartori State Guest House conference hall.
The minister stated that each block in the state will be divided into four zones, Agartala Municipal Corporation into four zones, and various municipal councils and nagar panchayats into one zone for organizing competitions in various events. From these, 104 talented players will be selected for sub-divisional level competitions. Those selected from the sub-divisional level will compete at the district level, and finally, players chosen from the eight districts of the state will participate in the state-level competitions. Based on their performance, they will be trained at the State Sports School and various recognized coaching centers to prepare them for national-level competitions. The initiative aims to ensure that these athletes perform well in national events in the future.
The minister further informed that 13 athletes from the state will participate in the upcoming 38th National Games in Uttarakhand. Among them, 2 athletes will compete in triathlon, 1 in squash, 4 in yoga, 4 in gymnastics, and 2 in judo. A team of 25 members, including coaches and officials, will represent Tripura at the event.
Highlighting the state’s achievements over the past two years, the minister shared that school students have won 13 gold, 13 silver, and 17 bronze medals in various national-level competitions for under-14 and under-19 categories. At the recently concluded National Youth Festival, the state’s youth secured third place in two categories. Athletes over 19 years of age from different state associations won 17 gold, 18 silver, and 30 bronze medals. Notably, Kritika Dutta won a gold medal in the under-14 category at the national yoga competition held in Telangana.
Present at the press conference were Dr. P.K. Chakraborty, Secretary of the Youth Affairs and Sports Department; Satyabrata Nath, Director of the department; district chairpersons; Agartala Municipal Corporation Deputy Mayor Monika Das Dutta; and other district and sub-divisional level officials of the department.
