Shillong, May 20; Nearly 900 athletes from all 12 districts charged onto the track Tuesday as the State Level Inter-School Athletics Meet 2026 opened at SAI Mawkynroh, marking Meghalaya’s biggest school sports showdown this year.
Spread over three days and 48 events, the meet pits Under-14, Under-16, and Under-18 athletes against each other in a hunt for medals and state recognition. The event is run by the Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs with the Meghalaya Athletics Association.
Chief guest John F. Kharshiing, Working President, Meghalaya State Olympic Association, pointed to the state’s revamped sports push: national gold medal rewards up from ₹7,500 to ₹60,000 and guaranteed government jobs for National Games medalists. “Participation itself is a victory. The courage to compete and the determination to continue are the true qualities of a champion,” he said.
Deputy Director P. B. War Nongbri said the meet follows district qualifiers that drew 9,681 athletes from 380 schools. He called it a key talent filter as Meghalaya gears up to host the 39th National Games.
Day 1 saw Long Jump, High Jump, Javelin, Shot Put, and sprint finals in the 60M and 100M, along with heats for 300M, 400M, 600M, 1000M, and 4x400M relays.
Also present were Assistant Director K. Passah, Meghalaya Athletics Association Vice President E.M.H. Passah, and Olympian Ian Campbell, High Performance Director at Sportality.
