Three from Sikkim in Indian Kick Boxing Team

KICK BOXERS TO PARTICIPATE IN WAKO WORLD KICKBOXING C'SHIP 2015 FROM 21-29 NOV IN IRELAND Three kick boxers from Sikkim have been selected to represent the country in the upcoming WAKO World Kickboxing Championship 2015 to be held from 21 to 29 November at Dublin, Ireland. They are part of the 40-member Indian team that will participate in the Championship.

Special Olympics Bharat organises sports meet for the differently abled in Pelling

GANGTOK, 29 Jan: Special Olympics Bharat [SOB], Sikkim Chapter, the Nodal Agency for conducting sports meets for the differently abled, is conducting the sports for all communities viz. SOB-differently-abled person, PCI, Paralympics Committees of India-Orthopedically Challenged and Visually Challenged person, and person with Hearing and Speech Impairment, at Pelling SSS Ground from 28 - 31 January 2013.
Events will be held in the disciplines of five-a-side Football, Athletics, Badminton and Bocce. A press release informs that SOB will conduct the Community Coaches Training (CCT Level I) Programme for the local level Volunteer/ Coaches on 28 January to identify athletes in the community. The games will begin from 29 January.
The main purpose of the programme is to motivate and identify talents among the differently-abled communities as sports is the only means towards mainstreaming these people, the release states.
Selected athletes will be sent to represent the state in the 3rd National Games scheduled to be held either in Jharkhand or Delhi later this year.
The participants are advised to bring warm clothes, sports gears and the accommodation is arranged in the Girls Hostel. The participants will be supplied with T-Shirts, Medals, Certificate and TA along with food and accommodation, the release adds.

Training for coaches by Special Olympics Bharat

ANUSHA GURUNG
GANGTOK, 13 Jan: Special Olympics Bharat [SOB], Sikkim Chapter, is organizing an Advanced Coaches Training Programme [ACTP] in association with the SOB, New Delhi, from 17 to 22 January here at Paljor Stadium. The training programme is being sponsored by Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports.
A total of 60 participants from 12 Eastern and North-Eastern states are expected to take part in the training. The training will be provided to coaches and active sportspersons on two disciplines - soft ball and athletics. The training will have resource persons from Delhi, Goa and North-Eastern states.
The main purpose of the ACTP is to train coaches in these two disciplines who will then be able to train special as well as main stream athletes. It was informed that soft ball is being introduced in Sikkim for the first time, so the other objective of the training programme is to train coaches and sportspersons in this new discipline.

Athletics and martial arts dominate

DAY-2 OF STATE-LEVEL PYKKA GAMES
GANGTOK, 17 Dec: Day-2 of the PYKKA sports competition was filled with energy and aspirations on the young from all over the State who are participating in this rural mega sports event. It was a day dedicated to athletes and martial artists to prove themselves today.

1,250 sportspersons descend on Gangtok for 9-day event

STATE-LEVEL PYKKA GAMES BEGIN
GANGTOK, 15 Dec: Around 1,250 athletes from across the state are participating in the 2nd edition of the state-level Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan [PYKKA] Sports Competitions 2011-12 which was inaugurated here at the Tashi Namgyal Academy playground today.

Sports Day at Phalaichadara JHS

GANGTOK, 18 Nov: Government Junior High School, Phalaichadara, East Sikkim organized its annual sports day at its school playground on 16 Nov, informs a press release. 
Apart from the regular sports events, the day also witnessed block level cultural competition organized by the Social Welfare Youth Association, Rakdong-Tumin, East Sikkim and sponsored by Nehru Yuva Kendra, Gangtok.

First State and NE Muay Thai championship announced for Dec

GANGTOK, 14 Nov: Muay Thai Association of Sikkim has announced plans to hold the 1st State and North East Championships in the state from 18 to 22 December at the Jorethang playground.

Sports associations invited to submit incentive claims

GANGTOK, 23 Oct: Registered sports associations in the State can submit incentive claims of their players covering the period from the year 2008 to 31 March 2011 with the Department of Sports & Youth Affairs on or before 10 November.

Talent hunt for Boxing, Football and Shooting at Paljor Stadium

GANGTOK, 17 Oct: 11 Gorkha Rifles Regiment Centre, Lucknow, is conducting a talent hunt for its Boys Sports Company in Boxing, Football and Shooting from 19 to 21 October at Paljor Stadium.

CM holds up sports promotion as priority sector

NAMCHI, 30 June: Chief Minister Pawan Chamling has announced that sports will be a priority-sector for the government in the 12th Five Year Plan. He announced that ten-times more sports activities will be taken up to engage the youth and children in this healthy option.
He was sharing this with the Heads of Departments and district officials today during a review meeting of his South district tour held at Namchi indoor stadium today.
The CM informed that inter-school football tournaments at the constituency level will be organized and all efforts made to explore budding talent from all corners of the State and provide with a good platform to test their mettle.

Workshop cum Awareness on PYKKA held at Namchi

NAMCHI, 16 June: A District Level Workshop cum Awareness and Committee meeting on Panchayat Yuva Krida Aur Khel Abhiyan (PYKKA) 2011-12 organised by the Sports & Youth Affairs Department was conducted today here at Indoor Stadium, Namchi South Sikkim.
During the programme, Joint Director (HQ), Doma Tshering Bhutia spoke on the PYKKA scheme, the role and responsibility of the PYKKA committee, role and responsibility of Zilla Panchayat members Secretary and Krida Shree.
The PYKKA aims at providing basic sports infrastructure and equipment at the panchayat level and encouraging sports and games in rural areas through annual competitions at the block and district levels.
PYKKA will help States in promoting sport at the grassroots level, which they have not been able to achieve on their own so far due to severe resource constraints. It will also deepen and widen the seedbed of sporting talent of our villages leading to better performances by our sportspersons in national and international events.
She informed that under PYKKA, 23 grounds costing Rs 5 lakhs each and more than 100 grounds costing one lakh each have been sanctioned under the scheme. For the better implementation of the scheme Zilla Panchayat and Krida Shree should take the lead, she added.

CHIEF MINISTER DEDICATES ASTROTURF-EQUIPPED PALJOR STADIUM TO THE YOUTH

Paljor Stadium rolls out Astroturf access to all
SAGAR CHHETRI
GANGTOK, 29 May: The artificial turf laid out at Paljor Stadium was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pawan Chamling on Saturday and dedicated to the youth of the state for the promotion of the sports. Paljor Stadium, kept out-of-bounds for lay people for many years since its last make-over, is now open to all since Astroturf is more resilient than natural grass. While the facility is open to all, access requires an entry pass to be acquired from the Department.
Spread across 93,000+ sq feet, Paljor Stadium is now the largest Astroturf in the SAARC region.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by the Sports Minister, NK Pradhan and Secretary, Karma P Bhutia, also inspected the Astroturf.

Royal Plaza steps up as first local corporate sponsor for Bhaichung’s United Sikkim

SAGAR CHETTRI
GANGTOK, 22 April:  Royal Plaza and Casino Sikkim have stepped up for sports in Sikkim and associated with the United Sikkim Football Club [USFC] as co-sponsors. This makes the sister organisations, the first local corporate house in Sikkim to come forward and support a local club as a co-sponsor on such a substantial scale.
This was announced by the Director of Royal Plaza, Naresh Subba, at a press conference today which was also attended by Indian skipper and USFC co-owner, Bhaichung Bhutia, USFC co-owner, Navneet Sharma, the CEO of Dubai-based Fidelis World.

AIFF releases fixture for second div I-League

GANGTOK, 16 Mar: The All India Football Federation has released the fixture for the preliminary round of the 2nd Division I-League, which features two clubs from Sikkim – Denzong Boyz FC and United Sikkim FC - this season.
According to the AIFF fixture, group “A” matches will be played at Guwahati, Assam from 27 March to 09 April, while Group “B” matches will be played in Ranchi, Jharkhand, from 02 to 18 April and Group “C” matches are scheduled for Madurai from 31 March to 17 April.

Sikkim Chess Association assured of affiliation to AICF by April this year

SAGAR CHETTRI

GANGTOK, 07 March: A high-level delegation of the All India Chess Federation [AICF] gets impressed with activities taken up by Sikkim Chess Association [SCA] in short span of its formation.
AICF has announced to provide its affiliation as well as other supports to the SCA for the further development of the association and the chess in the state.
The delegation, which arrived yesterday, has the general secretary AICF, DV Sundar, who is also the vice-president of FIDE, and treasurer AICF, Bharat Singh Chauhan, who is also the president of Commonwealth Chess Association.
The delegation members had an interaction with the members of the SCA yesterday evening at Circuit House.
Responding to the request of the SCA for the affiliation, Mr Sundar announced to provide the affiliation to the association in the next meeting of the federation by April this year.
He also announced to send the senior players of the country and coaches to the state to train the local children on the expenses of the federation and also to provide all possible help for the development of chess in the state.
He informed that the federation has been keeping its eyes on the SCA since last year and it was found the state has been doing very well for the promotion of chess through different activities even in its infant stage.
Mr Sundar suggested the association members to work with more dedication and consistency in the state and to send the state teams to every national tournament.
Likewise, Mr Chauhan suggested the association to concentrate more on the young players in order to produce master and international players from the state in the future.
He also informed that in chess referees, coaches and players are equally necessary and the federation would organize seminars and trainings in all three fields in the state.
He also pointed out an international arbiter, Mahendra Dhakal, from Sikkim as a positive sign and advantage for the state whose knowledge can be used for the development of the game.
Mr Chauhan suggested the association to promote chess at the school level to encourage students interested in the game.
President SCA, HS Sharma informed that some like minded people in the state started the association on 24 July 2008 and during in its early stage it has already conducted seven tournaments.
He also informed that the association has also been providing technical support to various organizations in conducting chess competitions in the state.
Mr Sharma stated that being in its infant stage the SCA needs constant support from all concerned for its further development.
The meeting was also addressed by the Advisor SCA, KT Kafley.

SFA welcomes inclusion of two Sikkim clubs in second division I-League

GANGTOK, 15 Feb: The Sikkim Football Association has thanked the Asian Football Confederation and the All India Football Federation for having given provisional entry to United Sikkim Football Club and Denzong Boyz in the forthcoming 2nd Division I-League Football Championship [scheduled to begin in mid-March].