Meghalaya's North East Regatta 2026 concludes with Rs 10L prizes, global glory at Umiam

Meghalaya wrapped up the fourth edition of the North East Regatta 2026 with a closing ceremony at the Water Sports Complex in Umiam, drawing over 100 sailors for five days of competition and reinforcing the state’s position in India’s sailing calendar.

Organised by the Yachting Association of India in association with the Umiam Sailing Club and supported by the state tourism department, the regatta followed closely on the heels of the inaugural Indian Sailing League held at the same venue last week, which saw participation from 182 sailors, including 58 international competitors.

Events were conducted across multiple categories, including ILCA 4, Optimist, 420 Mixed, 29er and Techno 293. The regatta also served as a national ranking event and a selection platform for international competitions such as the Asian Games.

A prize pool exceeding Rs 10 lakh was distributed among winners across categories.

Lt Gen TSA Narayanan, Vice President of the Yachting Association of India, praised the scale and organisation of the event. “I have seen large number of sailing events being conducted, but no sailing event is conducted in India in this grand way,” he said, noting that the regatta remains the only sailing competition in the country to offer cash awards.

Sailors from the National Sailing School delivered strong performances, with Ankit Singh Sisodiya and Tulsi Patle winning gold in the ILCA 4 boys’ and girls’ categories, respectively. Rudresh Singh Patel and Mayank Rajput secured the top position in the 29er boys’ event.

International participants also made a mark. Teams from Kedah Sailing Association and Malaysia Sailing Association dominated several events, with the Malaysian mixed youth team winning the 420 class. Kedah sailors swept the Optimist main fleet titles, while Muhammad Zulfan Akif and Nur Iman Sofia were awarded special gold in the Optimist green fleet.

Other notable results included Hriethik Amar Jaiswal of Trishna Sailing Club winning the ILCA 6 youth open category. Arjun Marathe and Vritika Sandeep Mhatre of the Yachting Association of Maharashtra clinched gold in the Techno 293 boys’ and girls’ events, respectively.

League Director Alok Kumar Yadav highlighted the logistical and operational support extended by the Indian Army, state departments and local agencies. He said participation alongside international sailors offered Indian athletes valuable exposure to varied sailing conditions without leaving the country, adding that safety remained a key benchmark throughout the event.

Officials, including members of the technical committees, jury, race officers and commentators, were felicitated during the closing ceremony. Cultural performances by artists from the Chief Minister’s Meghalaya Grassroots Music Programme were also held.

The successful hosting of consecutive large-scale water sports events at Umiam is expected to strengthen Meghalaya’s standing as a destination for competitive sailing and promote the region as a hub for water sports in India.