Union Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Khadse on Tuesday reviewed the sports ecosystem in Mizoram during her visit to Aizawl, where she assessed sports infrastructure and interacted with athletes, coaches and support staff at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) centre.
Khadse was welcomed by Mizoram Minister of State for Sports and Youth Services Lalnghinglova Hmar. The two discussed measures to strengthen sports infrastructure, support athletes and create greater opportunities for young sporting talent in the state and across the Northeast.
During her visit to the SAI centre, Khadse reviewed the available facilities and interacted with athletes about their training, competition experience and sporting aspirations. SAI Assistant Director Shivam Yadav was also present.
Khadse stressed the need to provide athletes from the Northeast with quality coaching, sports science support, rehabilitation, nutrition and regular competition exposure to help them progress to the national and international levels.
She said institutional support from SAI, along with initiatives under the Khelo India scheme, was helping create pathways for young athletes from grassroots participation to competitive sport.
The government is also strengthening sports infrastructure in Mizoram. A Khelo India infrastructure project to lay a synthetic hockey turf and install lighting at the SAI Training Centre in Aizawl is aimed at improving hockey facilities in the state.
Khadse highlighted Mizoram’s sporting potential, particularly in football and hockey, and said sustained institutional support and facilities closer to athletes were essential to nurturing talent.
Lalremsiami Hmarzote was cited as an example of Mizoram’s sporting success. She became the state’s first female Olympian and first Asian Games medallist after training at the SAI academy in Thenzawl before progressing to the national level. She was also selected for the Arjuna Award 2025, becoming the first sportsperson from Mizoram to receive the honour.
Khadse said the government’s approach was to build a comprehensive athlete-development ecosystem combining infrastructure with coaching, sports science, rehabilitation, nutrition and competition exposure.
She also underlined the role of Khelo India in expanding opportunities at the grassroots and reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of developing a stronger sporting culture across the country.
The minister said the Northeast, with its strong sporting culture and abundant talent, would play an important role in India’s sporting journey. She stressed the need for greater coordination between the Centre and state governments to ensure more athletes from Mizoram and the wider region can reach the national and international stage.
The visit highlighted the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and SAI’s continued efforts to strengthen sports infrastructure and create a more accessible and athlete-centric sporting ecosystem in the Northeast.
