NAGPUR: An eight-year-old Mohd
Sheikh Irbrahim
walked to the stage with
Meethi Sahare
and Prisca Lawrence and lit the
Khasdar Krida Mahotsav
flame. The youngster then kicked the football towards the audience.
Dadoji Konddev Awardee Bhau Kane, India women cricketer
Mona Meshram, junior India No. 1 shuttler Malvika Bansod, para international swimmer Kanchanmala Pande and long distance runner Monica Raut were then introduced to the audience. The occasion was the logo unveiling ceremony of 20-day sporting extravaganza, which will see participants from 20 games.
Mayor Nanda Jichkar, ex-MP
Ajay Sancheti
, MLAs Sudhakar Kolhe, Sudhakar Deshmukh, Vikas Kumbhare and others watched while sitting at the front row. It was one of rare occasions where politicians took the backseat and let city's sports persons stole the limelight.
After a successful Khasdar Sanskrutik Mahotsav, where top artists performed, city MP and Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has marked his entry into sports with a one of its kind sports festival.
The Khasdar Krida Mahotsav - to be promoted as Chak de, Khelo Nagpur Khelo - is country's first multisport festival, which will provide a platform not only to the fitness enthusiasts and amateur sportspersons but also to the professional players of the city to showcase their talent in a competition format at the grassroots level.
The inaugural edition, a brainchild of Gadkari, will be played across all the corners of the city from May 6 to 26. The event will be inaugurated at Yeshwant Stadium, while matches at 30 different venues commences from May 7.
Bhau Kane hoped that the historic event will benefit city players. "Khasdar Krida Mahotsav is an excellent beginning for sports in the city. We have produced several national and international players so far and this meet will definitely going to increase that number in the years to come," said Kane.
The 62 lakh prize money event will see a participation of over 25000 sporting enthusiasts of the city where around 294 events both in the individual and team sport are scheduled to be organized.
The games that would be part of the inaugural edition comprise of football, kho-kho, tennis ball cricket (men), tennis, basketball, carrom, skating, athletics, swimming, volleyball, badminton, hockey, chess, kabaddi, table tennis, cycling, girls cricket, wrestling, body building and walkathon.
Indian women cricketer Mona Meshram thanked the organizers for inviting her. "I will try to play better in future and bring laurels to the region. I am confident that this initiative will produce several new champions in various games," said Mona.
Around 1500 referees will officiate the 4643 expected matches where 288 trophies and 2285 medals will be up for grab for the sportspersons. During the concluding ceremony, scheduled on May 26, a prize money of 62,82,200 will be distributed amongst the podium finishers, informed
Sandip Joshi
, member of the organizing committee. Besides, many individual awards will also be given away during concluding ceremony.
During the team event, a best player in every match will also be given an award. After the concluding ceremony, walkathon - an event for the sporting enthusiast - will be conducted on May 27. The prizes of walkathon will be distributed on the same day.