Aizawl: Mizoram and Telangana have formalised a partnership to strengthen collaboration in the sports sector, an official said on Monday.
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the two states during the ‘Telangana–North East Connect: A Techno-Cultural Festival’ held in Hyderabad on Saturday, the official added.
The MoU was signed in the presence of Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, and Mizoram Sports and Youth Services Minister Lalnghinglova Hmar and is expected to significantly benefit the training of Telangana’s sportspersons and coaches.
During a panel discussion at the conference, Hmar said the northeastern state is advancing with a clear long-term vision and is working to expand its sporting excellence to other Olympic disciplines.
Hmar highlighted the rollout of the Emerging Mizoram Sports (EMS) initiative under the state’s flagship ‘Bana Kaih’ or handholding scheme, which aims to promote sports and nurture talented youth across Mizoram.
As part of the collaboration with Telangana, he proposed athlete exchange visits, sharing of coaching expertise, and free access for Mizo sportspersons to train at Telangana’s advanced sports facilities.
The Sports Authority of Telangana has signed multiple MoUs with other northeastern states.
Among them is an MoU with football legend Baichung Bhutia to conduct specialised training sessions at the Telangana Sports School Academy; an agreement with Tripura’s Arjuna Awardee Sudip Debnath for gymnastics training; another with Manipur’s Arjuna Awardee L. Saritha Devi for boxing coaching; and an MoU with the Manipur Judo Association for the development of judo.
The three-day sports festival concluded on a grand note with sports representatives from the North Eastern states expressing gratitude to the Sports Authority of Telangana.
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In the football competitions held at the Gachibowli Main Stadium, Telangana’s women’s team defeated the North East team 2–0, while in the men’s category, the North East team defeated Telangana 2–0.
