A one-day national seminar on “History, Patrons, and Doyens of Sports in Manipur” was held at Manipur University, underscoring the state’s rich sporting heritage and the need for sustained academic engagement with sports history. The event brought together scholars, administrators, sportspersons and policymakers to examine 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 delivered the keynote address.
In his address, Thounaojam Chaoba Singh reflected on policy initiatives undertaken during his tenure and highlighted the role of patrons and pioneers who sustained sports in Manipur during difficult socio-political phases. He emphasised that recognising such contributions is crucial to understanding the foundations of Manipur’s sporting achievements.
Delivering the presidential address, Professor Naorem Lokendra Singh traced the historical evolution of sports and sporting institutions in the state. He cited examples of institutional patronage, including initiatives supported by Manipur University and other bodies, and stressed the importance of systematically documenting the contributions of sports patrons, institutions and doyens to inform contemporary sports policy and academic discourse.
The inaugural programme was followed by two technical sessions featuring 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 diverse themes such as biographies of sports pioneers, administrative perspectives on sports development, and insights from coaching and grassroots-level engagement.
The seminar concluded with an interactive discussion, during which participants reiterated that sports should be recognised as an integral part of Manipur’s social history, cultural identity and development planning. The deliberations highlighted 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.
