IMPHAL, December 13: The United Committee, Manipur today announced that the committee will organize a felicitation cum reception programme for the four state body builders including two women fitness competitors who had represented the country at the recent Mr World completion with three of them having podium finishes.
The UCM today called a press conference at its office and announced that the reception will be held on December 15 at Lamyanba Shanglen in collaboration with the AMSU, ACOAM Lup, PANDAM, IPSA, NIPCO, UPF Manipur, KSA, UGM and NDO.
The four state bodybuilders are recently crowned Mr World (75kg) Arambam Bobby, bronze medallist Mr World (65kg) Kh Pradipkumar, bronze medallist Women fitness contest (below 50kg) Yumnam (o) Momota Devi and K Rebita who came in the 5th place in women fitness (above 50 kg) category.
Demanding either suitable jobs or cash incentives for the four, UCM president Yumnam Nabachandra said, unless the government recognition the efforts of the four bodybuilders at the earliest, the UCM and other like-minded organizations would be compelled to initiate strong agitations as it had done demanding recognition of Mary Kom’s efforts.
Speaking to media persons, UCM president Yumnam Nabachandra said that Manipur is known as a sports-powerhouse in the country; however none of the sportsperson gets any acknowledgement or recognition from the government unless they win any titles.
Nonetheless, once a player makes a name for himself or herself in either the international or national arenas, the politician of the state will make a beeline to politicise their achievements, he said.
The politicians try to gain political mileage by rewarding any sportspersons who win recognition with some cash incentives, and once their objectives are made, they forget all about the sportspersons, he lamented.
Meanwhile, coming back to the four bodybuilders who had brought recognition for the state and the country at the world stage recently, the UCM has demanded cash incentives or suitable jobs for the four.