International Women’s Day: 36 Northeast venues for ASMITA league, announces Khadse

The Northeast will take centre stage in a nationwide celebration of women in sport, with 36 venues across the eight states hosting athletics events under the Union Sports Ministry’s ASMITA (Achieving Sports Milestone by Inspiring Women Through Action) programme on International Women’s Day, March 8.

Out of 250 locations identified across India for the massive one-day women’s athletics league, the Northeast accounts for a significant share. Assam will host events in 10 centres, while Manipur and Nagaland will stage competitions in six venues each. Arunachal Pradesh will have five centres, Meghalaya three, and Tripura and Sikkim one each.

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The announcement was made by Minister of State for Youth Affairs and Sports Raksha Nikhil Khadse at a conference at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium here on Monday.

“There can’t be a better opportunity to integrate our young women across the nation and what better tool than using the ASMITA platform that is already gaining in popularity across the length and breadth of the country,” said Khadse.

ASMITA, launched in 2021 under the Khelo India framework, aims to promote women’s participation in sport through structured leagues and competitions while serving as a platform to identify emerging talent. Supported by the Sports Authority of India (SAI), the programme has so far conducted more than 2,600 leagues across 34 disciplines in over 550 districts and 700 cities, reaching more than 3,00,000 women, including participants from remote regions such as Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram and areas once affected by Naxalism.

This year’s International Women’s Day initiative will feature 100m, 200m and 400m races across Under-13, 13–18 and 18+ age categories. Each venue will deploy five technical officials, 10 volunteers, a competition manager, a Past Champion Athlete (PCA) and a District Youth Officer. A record 2,50,000 women are expected to participate nationwide on a single day.

The league will be implemented in collaboration with MY Bharat, Khelo India Centres (KICs), the SAI ecosystem and National Centres of Excellence (NCOEs), along with State and District Sports Associations and District Youth Officers.

“The League will be organized in more than 30 States and Union Territories, including Northeast states. The objective is to encourage more and more girls in villages and small towns to take up sports as a career as is envisioned by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” Khadse said.

As India prepares for the Commonwealth Games 2030 and pursues its ambition to host the 2036 Olympic Games, Khadse underlined the broader vision behind the initiative.

“We must understand that readiness begins at the district level. Hosting an Olympic Games requires more than infrastructure. It requires trained human resources in every district of India. It requires certified technical officials. It requires administrative excellence. This International Women’s Day initiative is part of that preparation.”

Each of the 250 athletics events will also feature women technical officials, developmental workshops, orientation to Athletics Federation of India-aligned officiating norms, and digital data upload and competition documentation training to strengthen grassroots capacity building.