Mascot designs for National Games finalised

The famous Monal bird of Uttarakhand and an athlete in action with mountains in the background will be the mascot and logo for the 38 National Games, which will be hosted by the state government in 2018.

Chairing a meeting yesterday, Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat finalised the designs for the mascot and logo, which will be sent for the final approval of the National Games authorities.

Along with approving the design for the mascot and logo, Chief Minister TS Rawat said if need be the state would also hire foreign coaches and trainers for training the boxers. Uttarakhand is banking on winning medals in events such as badminton, boxing, water sports, judo karate and basketball. All the major events will be staged in Dehradun, Haldwani, Rishikesh, Tehri, Pithoragarh, Roorkee and Almora.

Meanwhile, Sports Minister Arvind Pandey yesterday said the state was ready to host the National Games. “We have amassed the necessary infrastructure for staging the National Games,” he said.