Guwahati, Feb. 6: The Assam Olympic Association has shifted to high gear to promote and garner maximum public response for the 33rd National Games, to be hosted for the first time by the state in 2005.
“The association will hold a contest among the people of the state to decide on the mascot and slogan for the National Games,” its secretary Mukut Medhi said. The association’s office-bearers have given their consent on the proposal at a recent meeting.
“The design will have to creatively blend the rhino and the Olympic torch. We will advertise soon about the contest in the newspapers. We have entrusted our joint secretary with the duty of holding the open contest,” Medhi said. A cash prize will be awarded to the winner of the contest, he added. The proposal has been considered with a view to getting more ideas, the secretary said. The mascot for the 32nd National Games in Hyderabad was Veera, the bull.
Medhi said the onus would be on joint secretary Bhumidhar Barman to hold a contest among the students for a competitive slogan. He was with the state contingent as deputy chef-de-mission for last month’s Hyderabad Games. Students from Class V to college level will be able to participate in the contest, sending a maximum of 10 slogans, comprising not more than 10 words each in English, Hindi or Assamese. However, the slogans will have to be related to the cultural and historical tradition of Assam.
Though the contestants were asked to file their entries with the AOA joint secretary at the R.G. Baruah sports complex here before January 20, the last date has been extended till March as no entry had reached the AOA till that date. However, the AOA has not set any deadline for filing of entries for the mascot contest.
The best slogan will be selected for the Games and the contributor will be awarded a cash prize, Medhi said.
Boxing meet: The Ulubari Boxing Club will organise a three-day state-level boxing meet at its club premises in Guwahati from Friday. Several participants have confirmed their participation in the men’s, women’s, sub-junior and junior events.
Hockey camp: Three Assam sub-junior hockey players are taking part in an ongoing coaching camp-cum-selection trials at Lucknow since Febrary 1 for an Indian under-16 team to take part in the sub-junior Asia Cup championship at Dhaka in Bangladesh from March 1 to 12.
