Meghalaya to withdraw as co-host if badminton is shifted

Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma today said Meghalaya will withdraw from co-hosting next month's South Asian Games if the badminton event is shifted from Shillong to Guwahati.
"We would withdraw from being a co-host state if the badminton discipline is shifted to Guwahati," Chief Minister Mukul Sangma told reporters after chairing the cabinet.
The badminton event of the upcoming South Asian Games has been shifted by the organisers to Guwahati from Shillong due to "inadequate facilities" at the proposed venue in the Meghalaya capital.
Informing that the cabinet was briefed on the issue including the official communication that was sent to the Union government yesterday about the stand of the government, the chief minister said, "We have put our stand very clear in terms of our displeasure and communicated them appropriately to all concerned."

No decision should have been taken without taking into confidence the state concerned as the state has definitely given an effort in ensuring successful hosting of the event, he said.
"We had informed the union government that the decision for Meghalaya and Assam to be the co-hosts was agreed after due consultation," Sangma said.

Now, the decision to shift badminton from Shillong to Guwahati indicated that it was an afterthought manoeuvre to suit "unpleasant politicking" while hosting of such an important international event, he said.
The SAI Sports Centre at Shillong's North East Hill University, which is a multipurpose indoor stadium, was reportedly found not suitable by the BAI officials due to poor lighting and lack of wooden flooring for the warm-up courts.

Shillong was to host eight disciplines, including badminton, during the February 5-16 Games but now the city will host seven.