Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal asked the sports organisations in the island district of Majuli to reorganise and revamp their activities to spot talent and play a role in the development of sport in the state.

Sonowal, who is also the president of Assam Olympic Association, held a meeting with District Sports Association, Majuli, and its affiliated bodies in the conference hall of Majuli deputy commissioner’s office on Monday and said since the state government is planning to hold Grammya Buniyad Olympic Competition (rural Olympics) at the district level, the sports bodies need to revamp themselves to organise the event and give a platform to the sports enthusiasts as well as the budding sporting talents to showcase their sporting acumen and get noticed at the higher level.

Sonowal also asked the sports bodies to register 175 clubs in Majuli district and use them as a launch pad to groom sports talents.

The chief minister said the 21st century is an age of competition and, therefore, the sports bodies need to imbibe competitive mentality in them to help the sporting talent pool to develop competitive spirit.

About the dearth of qualified coaches in Majuli district, he asked the member secretary of state-level advisory committee for students and youth welfare, Lakhya Konwar, to take immediate steps to address the issue.

Konwar asked the sports bodies to identify five persons from the district whom the committee could send to Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports, Patiala, on its own expenditure to train them in modern modules of coaching.

On the absence of a full-time sports officer in Majuli, Sonowal asked Majuli deputy commissioner Vikram Koiree to give the charge to any of the assistant commissioners to look after the affairs of sports in the district.

He also asked Koiree to coordinate with the DSA and other sports bodies to develop sports infrastructure in the district.