ARCHANA SHARMA

Jaipur, Aug 22, 2022:  Around 30 lakh people and over two lakh teams have registered for the Rajiv Gandhi Rural Olympics to be held in Rajasthan from August 29 to October 5, the state government said on Monday.

Addressing the media at the logo and anthem launch for the event, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said: “For the first time, as many as 30 lakh people from across the state will contest in different sporting events irrespective of their age.”

According to Gehlot, the Rural Olympics will prove to be the biggest sporting event of its kind organised by any state.

The Games will feature six different sporting disciplines — kabaddi, tennis ball cricket, volleyball, hockey, shooting volleyball and kho-kho — to be played at the gram panchayat level.

The event aims to draw talented sportspersons from the villages and inspire them to make a mark on the global map, he added.

Sports Minister Ashok Chandna termed the event as the biggest gathering in the world.

“Around 30 lakh people have registered for this event. During the Covid pandemic, children became addicted to online games, but with this event we will ensure that they come to the playgrounds along with their parents,” Chandra said, adding that the ‘Hit and Fit Rajasthan’ slogan coined by Gehlot will be realised with the Rural Plympics.

State sports council head and Congress MLA Krishna Poonia said: “When the kids will see their parents playing games on the field, they will also follow them and get interested in sports.”