Shillong, August 13: South West Khasi Hills emerged as the top-performing district at the Meghalaya State Archery Championship 2026, finishing with a total of 25 medals as the three-day competition concluded here on Thursday.
More than 200 archers and officials representing all 12 districts took part in the championship, organised by the Archery Association of Meghalaya at the Sports Authority of India Centre on the NEHU campus.
South West Khasi Hills had led the standings after the Indian Round at the end of the second day and maintained its position after the compound and recurve events were completed on the final day.
The district added 12 more medals on Thursday to finish with 8 gold, 10 silver and 7 bronze medals.
East Khasi Hills produced a strong performance on the final day, climbing from fifth to second position overall. The host district finished with 7 gold, 7 silver and 4 bronze medals.
West Khasi Hills secured third place with 6 gold, 6 silver and 6 bronze, followed by Ri-Bhoi in fourth with 4 gold, 2 silver and 4 bronze medals.
East Jaintia Hills finished fifth with 3 gold, 3 silver and 3 bronze medals, narrowly edging East Garo Hills, which also won three gold and three bronze medals but had two silver medals.
The chief guest on the final day was Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Wailadmiki Shylla, who spent nearly three hours watching the competition and praised the precision and skill displayed by the young archers.
Addressing the closing ceremony, Shylla said it was encouraging to see a closely contested championship without one district dominating the competition. He credited the Archery Association of Meghalaya (AAM) for its efforts to promote and strengthen the sport across the state.
The Minister also praised the association for being one of the most active bodies involved in preparing the state’s teams for the 39th National Games 2027, which Meghalaya will host.
Highlighting the state government’s increased focus on sports, Shylla said the Sports and Youth Affairs budget had risen from ₹70 crore to ₹844 crore over the last seven years, providing greater scope to support sports associations and athletes.
He also pointed to the government’s approval of a direct job appointment policy for successful athletes, saying the initiative would provide further encouragement to sportspersons pursuing their chosen disciplines.
Shylla said the increased support was already producing results. Referring to the 1st Khelo India Tribal Games held earlier this year, he noted that Meghalaya finished 13th overall, with the state now targeting a place among the Top 5 next year.
Meghalaya’s archers won two gold and one bronze medal at the inaugural Khelo India Tribal Games, with archery being the only discipline in which the state secured gold medals.
Also present at the closing ceremony were Meghalaya State Olympic Association General Secretary Finely L. Pariat, MSOA Joint Secretary P. Laloo, and senior members of the Archery Association of Meghalaya.
