Nagaland Athletics congratulated Abu Metha, Associate Vice President, Athletics Federation of India, for being appointed as the Chairman of the ‘National Mountain Running Committee’ of the Athletics Federation of India. The association stated that it is the first time that a sports administrator from Nagaland will be heading a national committee.

Abu Metha, a former national-level sportsperson, was instrumental in the successful hosting of the South Asian Cross-Country Championships in Nagaland as the Co-Convenor of the Organising Committee. This historic Championship was Nagaland’s biggest ever event and was participated by athletes and officials from Nepal, Maldives, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India. The event also coincided with the 56th National Cross-Country

Championships wherein the Nagaland Women’s Team won Bronze Medal in the Team Championships Event for the first time. Altogether 12 athletes from Nagaland finished in podium positions among the participants of the North-Eastern states.

Abu Metha was also the Team Leader of the Indian Contingent to the U-20 World Athletics Championships at Nairobi, Kenya, where India returned with its best-ever haul of three medals.

Mountain running is a worldwide sport and a discipline of athletics. The World Mountain Running Association (WMRA) was born in 1984 as the International Committee of Mountain Running (ICMR). In 1985, it first staged ‘the World Trophy’, attracting entries from more than 30 countries. In 2002, the IAAF Congress officially recognized it as an International Competition as defined by IAAF Rule 1, and in 2009 the name was changed to the Mountain Running World Championships, with nowadays more than 40 nations taking part.

Four Mountain Running Continental Championships (Africa, Europe, North America, South America) are held every year, plus Commonwealth Championships and Balkan Championships. WMRA annually stages a Long-Distance Challenge, a Youth International Cup and a Grand Prix, while a World Masters Mountain Running Championships is organised together with the WMA. This is the first time that the Athletics Federation of India has instituted the national committee on mountain running and it is a matter of pride that a leader from Nagaland is heading the committee.

The Nagaland Olympic Association and the sports fraternity of the State wished him all success in his new responsibility while extending their appreciation to the Athletics Federation of India under the leadership of the President, Adille Sumariwala, and Planning Committee Chairman, Dr. Lalit K. Bhanot for the recognition accorded to Nagaland and the North East.

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