GANGTOK, : Four-time Olympian archer Tarundeep Rai is carrying Sikkim’s hopes for a gold medal in the upcoming 38th National Games taking place at Uttarakhand.
Rai is representing his home State of Sikkim for the first time and features among the 41-member Sikkim contingent for the national competition which commences from January 28. The Government of Uttarakhand is hosting the 38th National Games which concludes on February 14.
Sikkim is competing in five sports – archery, boxing, athletics, cycling and women’s football.
“Four-time Olympian Tarundeep Rai is representing Sikkim in the archery competition of the 38th National Games. We are expecting him to bring laurels for the State. We are expecting medals in other four sports disciplines also,” said Sikkim Olympic Association (SOA) general secretary Jaslal Pradhan at a press meet here on Friday.
Rai is the sole archer from Sikkim competing in the archery competition which is being held from February 1 to 7.
Three pugilists from Sikkim are contesting in the boxing category while two are taking part in the cycling competition. Only two players from Sikkim are competing in athletics. They are all accompanied by their respective coaches.
The bulk of Sikkim contingent for the 38th National Games consists of the State’s women football team which includes 22 players and four officials. It is for the first time that Sikkim’s women football team is playing in the national games. They were selected for their excellent performances in 2024 and are leaving for Uttarakhand on January 25.
Four senior executives of SOA are accompanying the State team.
The SOA secretary shared that the players and their coaches would be leaving for Uttarakhand on different dates as per their sports events’ itinerary. Dehradun is among the four venues in Uttarakhand hosting the 38th National Games.
It was informed that in the past, Sikkim had won gold medals in karate and taekwondo events but these sports disciplines no longer feature at the national games.
Cash prizes are awarded by the SOA and the State government to the medal winners ranging from Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 30,000.