Lucknow: Olympic Day Runproves a great hit

LUCKNOW: Sports enthusiasts along with a large number of people participated in the Olympic Day Run organized here on Thursday with the aim of promoting sportsmanship and creating awareness for the Olympic Games.
Organized by the Lucknow Olympic Association (LOA) under aegis of the Uttar Pradesh Olympic Association (UPOA) to mark the Olympic Day, the run was flagged off by Syed Rafat Zubair Rizvi, general secretary of the LOA, from Shaheed Smarak at 6:30 am.The run culminated at KD Singh Babu Stadium.
Chief guest of the closing ceremony was Sudhir S Halvasia, chairman of the Lucknow Yoga Sports Federation and special guest was Murlidhar Ahuja, a social worker. Later, the LOA gave away certificates and Olympic Day caps to the players and people who took part in the run. On the occasion, Rizvi proposed to launch a ‘Vijay Path’ mission in association with the sports directorate under which five sports persons would be selected and imparted professional training in their respective fields. The LOA and the directorate would make arrangements of the sports equipment which would be required by the selected sportspersons.
Rizvi said that the LOA would give financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh per annum under the ‘Vijay Path’ mission. Chief guest Halwasia also announced financial assistance of Rs 2.5 lakh every year to make the mission a great success. Similar financial assistance was also announced by Ahuja also promised to grant Rs 2.5 lakh, while Lucknow District Handball Association president Anurag Mishra and general secretary Vineet Bisaria assured to extend assistance of Rs 50,000 and Rs 1 Lakh respectively.