In Manipur, a five-day celebration of indigenous sports and martial arts just concluded with a clear message: the region's traditional games are not relics of the past, but living practices worthy of national and global recognition. The Revival of Indigenous Native Games (RING) 2026 brought together sportspersons, cultural enthusiasts, and community members to preserve and promote the martial arts and athletic traditions that have defined the state's identity for centuries.
At the heart of the event stood Thang-Ta, Manipur's legendary martial art form. Huidrom Premkumar Singh, speaking at the closing ceremony, traced the art's deep historical roots—it was once the weapon and training system through which people defended their homeland and communities. Today, he noted, Thang-Ta is being promoted across India under the Khelo India scheme, a national program supporting athletic excellence. Singh emphasized that these traditions deserve elevation to the international stage, but only through collective, dedicated effort from within the state and beyond.
Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi, who served as Chief Guest at the closing ceremony, positioned Manipur itself as a sporting powerhouse with untapped potential. She spoke to the deeper value of indigenous games—how they instil discipline and physical fitness in young people while anchoring something less tangible but equally important: moral strength and cultural pride. Games are not mere physical activity, she suggested, but vessels of identity and identity. Her appeal was direct: communities from all walks of society need to work together to ensure these practices survive and flourish beyond Manipur's borders.
The five-day gathering reflected genuine momentum. Athletes, cultural groups, and sports enthusiasts packed the closing ceremony, testament to growing recognition that traditional games and martial arts matter. This is not nostalgia—it is recognition that indigenous sporting traditions represent knowledge systems and values that modern life increasingly needs: discipline developed through practice, community bonds forged through shared participation, and a sense of cultural belonging that globalisation often threatens to erase.
The real work lies ahead. Getting Thang-Ta and other Manipuri sports to international prominence requires infrastructure, investment, training systems, and sustained advocacy. But RING 2026 showed that the appetite exists within Manipur itself. The state has positioned itself as a place where heritage and modernity can coexist—where ancient martial arts can train future champions, and where traditional games can become sources of pride for a new generation.