The Nagaland Olympic Association (NOA) and Sports For All (SFA) have announced a strategic partnership to strengthen the grassroots ecosystem in the state.
The announcement was made in presence of chief minister Neiphiu Rio, deputy chief minister Y Patton, adviser to chief minister and Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN) chairman Abu Metha and NOA assistant secretary general Neivikuolie Khatsu.
The partnership marks a significant step towards the realisation of the shared vision to encourage sports participation, empower talent, and build a platform for athletes to showcase their skills on a larger stage.
Rio stated that the NOA and SFA together aimed to create an environment that encouraged sports at the grassroots level and ignited a passion for excellence.
He said the aim was to bring about sustainable change to the state through sports, claiming that introducing a sporting culture in school, strengthening the same in college, creating a strong ecosystem for women athletes and coaches were key initiatives that made Nagaland a great contender to host the National Games.
In his speech, Metha mentioned that the partnership was aligned with the state government’s vision to broaden the sporting ecosystem in Nagaland and offer an opportunity for the athletes to test their capabilities and gain exposure.
He said he was looking forward to the journey of triumph and personal growth that lay ahead for the athletes.
Speaking on the partnership, SFA founder Rishikesh Joshi stated that the partnership with NOA strengthened the group’s mission to enable a platform for the country’s youth to compete in sports.
Noting that Nagaland had seen significant growth in terms of sporting infrastructure and budding athletes, he claimed that the association would assist to further the sporting ecosystem of the state and the country.
After having created a valuable impact across nine cities within a span of three months, he said SFA Championships would now debut in the Northeast.
With the forward path to host 150 championships across 50 cities of India in the next five years, Joshi termed the partnership a move forward in making sports accessible for school athletes across the country, thereby empowering today’s talent to become champions of tomorrow.
Since its inception in 2015, SFA, India’s largest tech-enabled multi-sports school competition platform, has been working towards the development of grassroots sports ecosystem of the country.
Through the partnership, the company would facilitate its flagship IP – SFA Championships. The commitment of the NOA and the Government of Nagaland would be a catalyst in the discovery of sporting talent at the SFA Championships. This was stated in a press release by SFA.
Friday, July 18, 2025