National Games to be held in Feb 12-26 in Jharkhand

Jamshedpur: After being postponed seven times since 2007, the 34th National Games would finally be held in Jharkhand from February 12 to 26, Chief Minister Arjun Munda said on Saturday.

The decision in this regard was taken following a meeting of the National Games Organising Committee (NGOC) at Ranchi on Saturday, Munda told a press conference here. Stating that the sports complex in Ranchi was approved during his earlier tenure, Munda said the National Games was to be held in the state in 2007 but was delayed for various reasons. "However, there will be no further change in the dates," he said. All the departments concerned have been instructed to remove all the technical bottlenecks to hold the Games in a grand manner, he said. Munda said the coming Panchayat election, being held after 33 years in Jharkhand, and the National Games were in the priority list of his government. The National Games, originally scheduled to be held in December 2007, has been deferred seven times on various grounds including political instability and inadequate sports infrastructure. On Team India skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni`s wish to be at the Games if not on national duty, Munda said Dhoni would be present either in the inaugural or closing ceremony of the Games. "I personally prefer to be there either in the opening or the closing ceremony if the dates are fixed in the first week (of February)," Dhoni told reporters in Ranchi recently in presence of Munda. PTI