BHUBANESWAR: THE Asian Athletics Championships (AAC)-2017 fever is catching up in the Capital. Taking the opportunity to connect maximum number of people with the mega sporting event and present the City in a better light, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched several measures.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Sunday formally inaugurated citizen connect campaign, setting the ball rolling for the programme. Besides, BMC has been conducting periodic meetings with different agencies to review the activities.
The campaigns have been designed to reach out to maximum number of educational institutions, IT companies, social service organisations and major corporate houses.
A series of interactive sessions at multiple locations in the city will be held till July 6. Promotional videos and radio campaigns for AAC-2017 have already been released.
A preparatory meeting for the citizen connect programme was organised last week and attended by senior officials of Sports and Youth Services Department, Public Works Department, BMC, Bhubaneswar Development Authority (BDA) and School and Mass Education Department.A detailed plan is being prepared to make the sporting event a huge success by engaging people from various walks of life. Athletic quiz, thematic drawing and painting competitions on athletics and popularising the mascot - ‘Olly’ the turtle - with caps and accessories are major attractions.
A mobile story-telling event with books from the participating nations is also scheduled. Sports and Youth Services Secretary Vishal Dev said, it is a privilege for the State to host such a high profile international sporting event. “We will organise it in such a way that every country and each athlete will go back with a wonderful memory. We need to showcase the event and hospitality in such a way that the 1100 plus delegation would have a memorable experience in the City,” he added.
The flags of 45 participating nations have been put on display along Janpath from Master Canteen square to Ram Mandir Square as well as other major junctions in the city.