Guwahati: Altogether 68 sportspersons from Assam who have represented India in athletics, boxing, badminton, tennis, table tennis, swimming, football, weightlifting, shooting, fencing, karate and lawn bowls will be felicitated on Monday to mark the 35th Abhiruchi Sports Day.

It is an annual event marking the birthday of Assam's first Arjuna awardee Bhogeswar Barua on September 3.

This year's Abhiruchi Sports Day will be organised centrally in Guwahati with an annual mass jogging event starting at 6.15am from Chandmari flyover to Radha Govinda Barua Sports Complex. Several programmes are scheduled to be held on September 8 and 9. Manipur Speaker Yumnam Khemchand Singh, the chief guest, will flag off the jogging event.

The event's organising chairman Balendra M. Chakravarty said, "Barua is among the very few people who have events organised in their honour during their lifetime. This year, Abhiruchi Sports Day will be organised all over the state to celebrate his 78th birthday. This is a return token of love from the people for his social and cultural activities and his contribution in sports."

The Abhiruchi Sports Day Organising Committee has been observing the day for the past 35 years in Guwahati and in 121 centres across the state.

"This time, we have invited Yumnam Khemchand Singh, black belt and pioneer of taekwondo, as the chief guest. He will flag off the mass jogging on Monday morning," Chakravarty said.

He said to make the event memorable, Assam sportspersons who have represented India will be felicitated on September 9 at Tarun Ram Phookan Indoor Hall here.

"Along with the felicitation programme, awards will be given to sports trainers," he said.

The organising committee will hold a seminar on Integration of Physical Education, Sports Science and Yoga with Regular School Curriculum on September 8.