South Asian Games: The dash to the North East

Abstract

The South Asian Games (SAG) is a multi-sport event with eight countries competing in it: India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Afghanistan. The 12th SAG was held in India in Guawhati and Shillong in February 2016, after a number of rescheduling of dates and debate over the venue. The Organising Committee for the 12th SAG saw the Government strengthening the hand of Indian Olympic Association (IOA) especially in terms of coordination with various stakeholders like IOA and NFs for technical support. The games were held within 90 days of the announcement of venues and final dates. Surpassing the constraints of having it in non-metro cities, it was well organized barring few glitches. Sri Yadav, the Secretary, Department of Sports now wants to analyse the successful execution of the Games and its challenges. Also, he wants to know how the SAG as a sports competition helped Indian athletes and map its importance to Indian sports and this success could be leveraged to achieve success at larger global events.