With the announcement of more than 10,000 viewership, 3E Nagaland – the event organisers of NagaWrestleMania-9 (King of The Ring Series 2022) – may have potentially ushered in a new era for sportsperson and sports telecast in Nagaland.
It may also impact event management across all sectors, whether it be music, fashion, sports or others.
Read more: NagaWrestleMania-9: Kezhaseluo-o Pienyü of Kohima Village is the new King-of-the-Ring
3E (Elite Entertainment Enterprise) Nagaland is a sports event management group based in Kohima, whose objective is “to take up areas of sports that require the least infrastructure and suit Nagas physically where there is scope of developing talented youngsters into professionals thereby creating avenues for alternative sources of sustenance.”
The success of the event with live telecast augurs well for all including organisers, athletes, media houses, videographers, IT firms and support sectors.
There are few things which 3E Nagaland did that came to the fore.
Engaging with Naga Wrestling Association
It was a notable and significant move in organising the event under the aegis of Naga Wrestling Association. This synergistic engagement is in the best interest of the athletes and the game. It also exhibits how an apex organisation should foster and encourage events in its interest and domain.
This handholding will also help teams and players to plan and organise their trainings and participation in a better way and with a definite target in place, which is critical in many ways.
Athletes’ Interests a priority
The athlete’s interests were given priority. Apart from an assured cash prize of about Rs 5,00,000, incentives based on pay-per-view revenue had been earmarked for the players.
The organisers’ view was that the players should get a fair share of the revenue that streamers earn from telecasting/ streaming matches.
Event Entry
Entries, though open, were restricted in some way to make sure that the best wrestlers got entry into the tournament. This ensured that the number of times an athlete wrestled was optimal and that the matches were worth watching.
Collaboration with International Wrestlers and Streaming Sites/Channels
3E Nagaland had collaborated with the participating US wrestlers and accorded them the right to record and stream matches in their channels, which reportedly has a wide network in the US, Australia, South East Asia and Myanmar.
This will go a long way in popularising Naga Wrestling across the world. It also has the potential to launch Naga athletes into international events and the international arena.
Weight Category
Unlike most internationally recognised wrestling and martial art disciplines, Naga Wrestling does not have a weight category. As a result, athletes of lower weight and height are generally at a disadvantage.
In having two weight categories – Lightweight (Under 80kg) and Heavyweight (Over 80kg) –a whole new dimension has been created. Competition in both weight categories at the event were very tough and the matches exciting.
Read more: NagaWrestleMania: Kezhaseluo-o Pienyü wins Heavyweight Championship on Day-2
NagaWrestleMania: Kevizhakho Suokhrie wins Lightweight Championship on Day-1
Top players from both categories got the qualification to vie for the King-of-the-Ring title.
Introduction of a weight category will definitely encourage athletes of combat sports in other parts of the state to take interest in the event.
