National Seminar at Manipur University examines history of sports in the State

A one-day national seminar on “History, Patrons, and Doyens of Sports in Manipur” was held at Manipur University today, highlighting the state’s rich sporting heritage and the need for sustained academic engagement with sports history. The seminar brought together scholars, administrators, sportspersons and policymakers to deliberate on the role of sports in shaping Manipur’s social and cultural identity.
The seminar was inaugurated at the Committee Room of the Vice-Chancellor’s Secretariat, Manipur University. It was jointly organised by the Department of Sociology, Manipur University, the College Development Council, Manipur University, and the Intellectual Forum North East–Manipur.
The inaugural session was presided over by Professor Naorem Lokendra Singh, Vice-Chancellor of Manipur University, while former Union Minister of State for Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports, Thounaojam Chaoba Singh, attended as the keynote speaker.
In his keynote address, Thounaojam Chaoba Singh reflected on policy initiatives undertaken during his tenure and spoke on the role of patrons and pioneers who sustained sports in Manipur during challenging socio-political periods. He stated that recognising such contributions was essential for understanding the foundations of the state’s sporting achievements.
In his presidential address, Professor Naorem Lokendra Singh traced the historical development of sports and sporting institutions in Manipur. He referred to instances of institutional patronage, including initiatives supported by Manipur University and other organisations, and highlighted the importance of documenting the contributions of sports patrons, institutions and doyens so that they can inform contemporary sports policy and academic discourse.
Two technical sessions followed the inaugural programme, with presentations by several resource persons, including Professor Rajendra Kshetrimayum, retired IAS officer Nimai, Dr. L. Dibamani, G. Bisheshwor Sharma and Dr. Ksh. Bimolata Devi, among others. The presentations covered a wide range of themes, including biographies of sports pioneers, administrative perspectives on sports development and insights from coaching and grassroots engagement.
The seminar concluded with an interactive exchange of views, during which participants reaffirmed that sports should be treated as an integral component of Manipur’s social history, cultural identity and development planning. The deliberations stressed the need for sustained interdisciplinary scholarship to preserve the state’s sporting heritage and to guide informed policy decisions for the benefit of future generations of athletes and sports institutions.