Shillong: Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated a new Rs 132.9 crore Integrated Multipurpose Indoor Sports Complex in Shillong on Saturday. Located at the Jawaharlal Nehru Sports Complex in Polo, the facility marks a major step in Meghalaya’s efforts to become a national sports hub ahead of the 39th National Games scheduled for next year.
During the ceremony, the Indian Olympic Association and the Meghalaya government signed a revised host state contract for the games. IOA President P.T. Usha attended the event alongside Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma and Sports Minister Wailadmiki Shylla.
The complex was completed ahead of schedule by Badri Rai and Company. Funded through the Meghalaya Eco-Tourism Infrastructure Development Project with New Development Bank support, the facility includes a 700-seat stadium for basketball, badminton and volleyball. It also offers a shooting range, squash courts, table tennis areas, a fitness centre, and convention spaces.
Mandaviya announced an additional Rs 150 crore for a High Altitude Sports Centre in the state to foster high-performance training. He also pointed to the ongoing construction of a Rs 732 crore international football stadium as evidence of the region’s growing importance in national sports. Sangma noted that this investment highlights a significant shift in government priorities, contrasting current spending with the state's budget for sports when his administration took office in 2018.
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