Shillong: In a landmark move to promote regional collaboration and celebrate the sporting spirit of the Northeast, the Centre has proposed that the 39th National Games be co-hosted by all eight northeastern states in 2027.
The idea received unanimous backing at a high-level regional meeting held in Shillong on Saturday.
The closed-door session brought together sports ministers, secretaries, and representatives from the state Olympic associations of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, and Tripura.
The meeting was chaired by Meghalaya Sports Minister Shakliar Warjri and co-chaired by Arunachal Pradesh Sports Minister Kento Jini.
John F Kharshiing, Working President of the Meghalaya State Olympics Association (MSOA), confirmed that the proposal to jointly host the event came from the Ministry of Home Affairs and was accepted by the Meghalaya government.
Meghalaya was initially slated to host the Games independently.
“The idea is not just to share responsibilities but to showcase the collective sporting strength of the Northeast,” said Kharshiing.
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“It reflects a spirit of unity and leverages the region’s tremendous athletic talent and growing infrastructure.”
The last time the National Games were held in the region was in 2007 in Assam and earlier in 1999 in Manipur.
Warjri emphasised that co-hosting the Games would significantly boost youth participation in sports and accelerate the development of infrastructure across all eight states.
The states agreed to reconvene soon to finalise operational plans and logistics for the multi-state event.
