Two Nagaland taekwondo athletes have brought home medals from the 5th India Taekwondo National Championship, held in Pune from August 16 to 21, with cadet fighters Sudeh Lamliu and Rishi Doimary finishing on the podium in their respective weight categories. The results arrive as Nagaland's government is trying to translate a newly announced state sports-funding push — and decades of frustration over an unfinished flagship sports complex — into a credible pipeline for producing national-level athletes.
Background
Taekwondo has quietly become one of Nagaland's more productive Olympic-discipline sports at the grassroots level, with district and state associations running a steady calendar of Kyorugi (sparring) and Poomsae (forms) championships that feed into national selection. Earlier this year, the Dimapur District Taekwondo Association hosted its 25th Kyorugi and 2nd Poomsae District Championship, part of a broader base of district-level competition across the state that state sports officials point to as evidence of a maturing athlete pipeline, even as Nagaland's most ambitious sports infrastructure project remains stalled.
That infrastructure story looms large over any conversation about Nagaland's sports development: the Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex in Dimapur, once envisioned as a 30,000-seat venue capable of hosting national-level events, has remained only partially built after roughly two decades and about Rs 140 crore in spending, according to reporting on the project's troubled history. Against that backdrop, Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio's government has taken a more targeted approach in its latest budget, allocating Rs 3 crore for a Chief Minister's Sports Advancement Initiative aimed specifically at five priority disciplines — archery, badminton, sepaktakraw, table tennis and taekwondo — with athlete training, coaching development and performance incentives, explicitly framed around a long-term goal of Olympic-level participation rather than only domestic medal counts.
Key Details
At the Pune championship, organised under the India Taekwondo federation, Nagaland's two medal-winning performances came in the cadet boys' categories.
- Sudeh Lamliu (Cadet Boys Under-33 kg): Won Silver, defeating opponents from Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana en route to the final, where he narrowly lost to a representative from Mizoram.
- Rishi Doimary (Cadet Boys Under-45 kg): Won Bronze, registering victories over competitors from Puducherry and Rajasthan before losing in the semifinal to a fighter from Dadra and Nagar Haveli.
- Event dates: August 16–21, 2026, in Pune, Maharashtra, contested as the 5th India Taekwondo National Championship (Kyorugi format).
- State funding context: Taekwondo is one of five disciplines specifically named in Nagaland's Rs 3 crore Chief Minister's Sports Advancement Initiative for the current budget year.
Both results came against a genuinely national field — Lamliu's run through fighters from three different states before falling to Mizoram in the final, and Doimary's wins over Puducherry and Rajasthan opponents before a narrow semifinal loss — underscoring that Nagaland's taekwondo athletes are now competitive at the sharp end of national cadet-level competition rather than making up the numbers. It is also notable that a fellow Northeast state, Mizoram, produced the fighter who beat Lamliu in the final, reflecting how competitive the region as a whole has become in the discipline at junior levels.
At a Glance
| Athlete | Category | Result | Path to Medal |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sudeh Lamliu | Cadet Boys Under-33 kg | Silver | Beat Gujarat, UP, Telangana; lost final to Mizoram |
| Rishi Doimary | Cadet Boys Under-45 kg | Bronze | Beat Puducherry, Rajasthan; lost semifinal to Dadra & Nagar Haveli |
Local Impact
For Nagaland's taekwondo community, these medals offer concrete validation of a district-to-state-to-national pathway that has otherwise had to develop without the marquee infrastructure long promised at Dimapur. Young athletes and coaches in districts running regular Kyorugi and Poomsae championships now have recent national-level results to point to as evidence that the pipeline works, even without a completed flagship venue. The state government's decision to name taekwondo as one of only five funded priority disciplines also signals that these grassroots results are shaping budget decisions — a rare instance of on-the-ground athletic performance translating fairly directly into policy attention and funding commitment.
More broadly, the results add to a growing case that Nagaland's sports development strategy may be better served by targeted, discipline-specific investment of the kind seen in the Rs 3 crore initiative than by waiting on the completion of large, generalist infrastructure projects like the stalled Dimapur complex.
What Happens Next
Both Lamliu and Doimary compete in cadet categories, meaning they have several years of eligibility ahead of them to progress toward junior and senior national squads if their development continues on this trajectory. State taekwondo officials are likely to point to these results as they push for continued or expanded funding under the Chief Minister's Sports Advancement Initiative in future budget cycles. Meanwhile, scrutiny of the Dimapur Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex's stalled progress is likely to continue, with sports advocates likely to argue that completing at least a usable portion of that facility would give athletes like Lamliu and Doimary a home venue for elite training rather than relying entirely on travel to national events.
Frequently Asked Questions
What did Nagaland's taekwondo athletes win at the National Championship?
Sudeh Lamliu won Silver in the Cadet Boys Under-33 kg category and Rishi Doimary won Bronze in the Cadet Boys Under-45 kg category at the 5th India Taekwondo National Championship in Pune, held August 16-21, 2026.
Who beat Sudeh Lamliu in the final?
A representative from Mizoram narrowly defeated Lamliu in the final of the Cadet Boys Under-33 kg category.
What is the Chief Minister's Sports Advancement Initiative?
It is a Rs 3 crore Nagaland state government programme funding training, coaching and incentives across five priority disciplines — archery, badminton, sepaktakraw, table tennis and taekwondo — aimed at building a long-term pathway toward Olympic-level participation.
What is the status of Nagaland's Dimapur sports complex?
The Multi-Disciplinary Sports Complex in Dimapur, envisioned as a 30,000-seat national-event venue, remains only partially built after roughly two decades and about Rs 140 crore in spending.
How competitive was the field these athletes faced?
Both fought and beat opponents from multiple other Indian states before losing narrowly at the final or semifinal stage, indicating a genuinely national-caliber level of competition rather than a smaller regional event.
Are Lamliu and Doimary eligible to compete again?
Yes, both competed in cadet age-group categories, meaning they have further years of eligibility to progress toward junior and senior national teams.
Which organisation runs Nagaland's taekwondo development pipeline?
District associations, including the Dimapur District Taekwondo Association, run regular Kyorugi and Poomsae championships that feed into state and national selection under the Nagaland Taekwondo Association.
Sources
- Northeast Today
- Morung Express
- Eastern Mirror Nagaland
- Nagaland Post
- DIPR Nagaland
- EastMojo