20
Athletics Championship: The fourth South Asian (SAAF) Senior Athletics Championship will be organized in Ranchi from 24 to 26 October.
Athletics Championship: The fourth South Asian (SAAF) Senior Athletics Championship will be organized in Ranchi from 24 to 26 October. This prestigious event will be held at Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium. Jharkhand Sports Minister Sudivya Kumar said that Ranchi will host the fourth South Asian (SAAF) Senior Athletics Championship. The Sports Minister on Friday unveiled the official logo, mascot and anthem for the three-day championship. The mascot of the event is ‘Dalma’, inspired by the elephant, the state animal of Jharkhand. The logo reflects the rich cultural identity and natural beauty of Jharkhand. The green color present in it symbolizes the lush green forests and ecological richness of the state, which shows the closeness of the people here to nature.
Logo, mascot and anthem launched
The Sports Minister said that ‘Dalma’ is the soul of the earth which has been reinvented for the Akharas. In which there is the power of the game, the beauty of the forest and the heartbeat of every player. She has Sohrai and Khowar tattoos on her skin, which are the vibrant art of the tribes of Jharkhand. The mascot’s sports apparel blossoms in the colors of India, echoing unity in motion. The official anthem of the SAAF Games is ‘Jharkhand Bhar De Hunkar Johar’ written in Nagpuri language. This anthem sets the tone for the championship. It also communicates curiosity and pride. With the promise that new champions will emerge in the SAAF Games. The Sports Minister said that the opening ceremony will be held on October 24 at around 6 pm. He said that around 5,000 youth from Jharkhand, who are acquiring skills in day-boarding, residential and other facilities, will also be invited to the event to introduce them to international athletes and motivate them.
India is hosting for the third time
Manoj Kumar, Secretary, Department of Tourism, Art, Culture, Sports and Youth Affairs said that athletes from six member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), except Pakistan, will participate in the games. He said that more than 300 athletes from six South Asian countries India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives and Sri Lanka will participate in this three-day event. A total of 37 athletic events will be organized during this championship. Officials said that 24 athletes from Bangladesh, eight from Bhutan, 30 from Nepal, 19 from Maldives, 83 from Sri Lanka and 93 from India will participate in the event. Overall, 265 athletes will come for this three-day event. All the athletes will come to Ranchi on 22nd October. On this occasion, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was exchanged between the Athletics Federation of India and the Directorate of Sports. This is the third time that India will host the SAAF Senior Athletics Championships.
Also read: ICC Player of the Month winner announced, Abhishek Sharma and Smriti Mandhana have a good fight
