NOA general secretary Abu Metha along with other officials during a press conference held at the Games Village, Nagaland Police Complex in Chümoukedima on November 1.
• 3000-plus playing contingent
• State’s biggest sports event
• Spread across eight venues
Morung Express News
Dimapur | November 1
The Nagaland State and Para Games 2026 is all set to start on November 2. The games will be held over 12 days across 8 venues in Chümoukedima and Dimapur.
Making the announcement at a press conference at the Games Village located within the Nagaland Police Complex in Chümoukedima, Nagaland Olympic Association (NOA) General Secretary Abu Metha said the third State Games would be the state’s largest sporting event till date in terms of numbers.
All 17 districts will take part across 14 sports disciplines. More than 3000 athletes, including nearly 1000 women and 2000 men, have registered for the open-category games.
Accounting for the technical officials, referees, volunteers, and ground crew, Metha said that the total accreditation has crossed the 4000 mark.
Most of the events will take place within the police complex in Chümoukedima. Athletics will be held at the Sports Authority of India synthetic track; sepak takraw, wrestling, and table tennis at the Multidiscipline Indoor Sports Complex in Sovima; lawn tennis at Kuda Village; and pencak silat at its state facility in Dimapur. Para sports events will be hosted separately at the Regional Centre for Sporting Excellence and a designated institution.
To handle accommodation and transport of the 3000 plus athletes, the games schedule has been divided into two phases. The first batch of participants will compete in seven disciplines and leave before the second batch arrives at the Games Village.
“Accommodating more than 2,000 people under one roof is the biggest challenge that we face,” Metha said, noting that round-the-clock medical care, convenience shops, and same-day laundry services have been arranged for the contingents. “There will be shortfalls, there will be mistakes, there will be areas where we fall short. If you have problems, please come to us, and we work as one Team Nagaland to solve them together,” he said.
For the first time, administration and athlete registration are being tracked through an online software system called ‘Fleg’, which will publish daily results, schedules, and medal tallies. In another first, Metha said the NOA will run a sports safeguarding seminar for coaches and administrators midway through the schedule.
Answering questions from reporters, Metha stated that winners will receive medals and certificates rather than cash awards, as the state meet remains an amateur event.
“These games are important for sports because it is also the launchpad for bigger events. Most of the associations select their teams for the forthcoming North East Olympics from these games,” he said.
