Imphal: Manipur’s Youth Affairs and Sports (YAS) Director, Mayengbam Veto Singh, unveiled a blueprint titled “Vision 2030: Manipur as Sports Capital” during a press briefing here on Friday.
The roadmap aims to develop the state as a hub for sports, tourism, and athletic development.
To achieve this, Singh called on global investors, developers, and stakeholders to use Manipur’s northeastern location, varied terrain, and sporting culture.
Despite its sporting record, the Director identified development challenges, including infrastructure gaps in remote hill districts, funding constraints, connectivity bottlenecks, and the need to preserve indigenous sports.
Manipur has over 40 active sports disciplines across club and school networks. The state has produced 19 Olympians, including three medalists, 26 Asian Games medalists, and 36 Commonwealth Games medalists.
The department has identified disciplines for targeted development, including football, boxing, weightlifting, hockey, and combat sports.
The Director also called for the preservation of Manipur’s cultural heritage through traditional sports such as Sagol Kangjei (Polo), Mukna, Thang-Ta, and Yubi Lakpi.
Moving forward, the department intends to address existing resource gaps by expanding public-private partnerships, sports science, nutrition, and performance analytics.
The briefing was attended by senior YAS officials, including Senior FO M. Nabakumar Singh, Deputy Director Th. Mangichan Singh, Assistant Director T. Dushanta Singh, and Olympian K. Chinglensana.