More than 1,200 sportspersons and technical officials from across the region will throng the Assam capital in January for the 19th Northeast sports festival, touted as a dress rehearsal for bigger things to come next year ? the 33rd National Games.

Competitors will view for the honours in eight disciplines ? athletics, badminton, football, hockey, judo, table tennis, weightlifting and boxing (women only) ? at the four-day festival to be hosted by the Assam sports council from January 6 to 9.

Apart from the northeastern states, Sikkim will also send a contingent to the meet. The state council is making arrangements to host the meet at the Nehru Stadium.

The assistant secretary of the council, Pranob Saikia, said the meet would give the organisers a hands-on experience of various problems that might crop up during the National Games.

A secretary-level meeting of the apex sports organisations of the northeastern states, including Sikkim, has been convened in Guwahati on December 12 to discuss various aspects related to the regional extravaganza.

Apart from the Northeast sports festival, the state sports council will organise the all-Assam rural sports tournament for archery and weightlifting for under-16 boys and girls on December 31 at Sarupathar in Golaghat district.

The rural meet on December 21 and 22 will be organised in association with the Dhansiri subdivision administration and south Golaghat development block, Sarupathar.

Participants, strictly from rural areas, have been asked to carry age certificates in triplicate, two copies of passport size photographs and two flags of their respective districts to the venue of the meet.