(Above) Chief minister Naveen Patnaik does a hi-five with Olly, the mascot of 22nd Asian Athletics Championship, and releases the jersey with its logo at the Mascot rally in Bhubaneswar on Monday. 

The championships, in which more than 1,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries will take part, will be held at Kalinga Stadium from July 6 to 9. 

Two tableaux will feature in the road shows across the state during a 22-day tour. While one tableau will cover the state’s southwestern parts, including Khurda, Puri and Ganjam districts, the other vehicle will head for north Odisha through Bhubaneswar, Jagatsinghpur and Kendrapara. Both the vehicles carrying Olly will reach the stadium on July 2. Bhubaneswar is the third Indian city to host the event after New Delhi in 1989 and Pune in 2013.

PICTURES BY ASHWINEE PATI