For those interested in weightlifting, trials for the discipline for Indira Gandhi Academy in Kohima were held last week at IG Stadium, Kohima on 15 and 16 September. The trials were open to boys and girls between the age group of 10-16 years.
The Department of Youth Resources and Sports Nagaland had earlier invited interested candidates to submit application forms by 13 September.
Nagaland Tribune contacted the coach in charge of holding the trials on the two scheduled days last week – Vizobilie, Strength and Conditioning Expert for Khelo India Centre.
Weightlifting has a wide scope but none of our youths are involved in this discipline, stated Vizobilie.
The main objective of this initiative by the sports department, he said, is to help Naga youths identify and realise their potential as Nagas have the physical advantage of doing well in weightlifting.
The academy will be offering weightlifting as a non-residential program. This, the coach said, is because the outcome needs to be taken in first. If the outcome is good after a year or two, a residential program will possibly be started by the academy, he informed.
How has the response to the trials been? According to Vizobilie, the response has been slow which he attributes to the program being non-residential. There were more enquires made through phone calls to the department of Youth Resources and Sports than for candidates to actually turn up for the trials, he said.
As far as the discipline is concerned, we Nagas can really do well: coach Vizobilie.
At the end of the first day of trials, the coach informed that out of the four applications submitted, only three candidates had turned up. He did not seem very hopeful for the second day of trials.
Later the following day, he told NTN that no one had turned up that day.
Despite the poor turnout of candidates, Vizobilie said it was encouraging to see interested participants and added that the team was looking forward to training those interested based on their fitness level and the need of the discipline.
“The only problem today was the number of the participants, besides [that] everything went well,” he said.
The coach remains optimistic for weightlifting to take hold in Nagaland, the trials and program being the first initiative taken for weightlifting as a sport discipline in the state.
“By seeing the interest and the performance of the students, we are encouraged to continue to initiate such trials even in [the] future. As far as the discipline is concerned, we Nagas can really do well,” he said.
