Preparations in full swing for 'Run For Rio'

NEW DELHI: With the Rio Olympics just around the corner, preparations are in full swing for the " Run For Rio" event, which will be flagged off by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the national capital this Sunday to celebrate the Olympic mood in the country.

"The objective of the run is to not only demonstrate to our athletes that the whole country is proud of them and wishing them all the best in the forthcoming Rio Olympics, but also to connect public at large, especially children and youth, with the Olympic spirit and power of sports," Sports Minister Vijay Goel, who is personally supervising the preparations, said in a statement.

Around 20,000 school children will participate in the event, which will commence from Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium and conclude at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

Similar runs, albeit on smaller scale, will be held at the regional centres of Sports Authority of India(SAI) in Sonipat, Kolkata, Bhopal, Gandhinagar and Thiruvananthapuram.

Prime Minister Modi will also release a publication of SAI on 'Indian Olympic Journey', which will carry interesting information on India's Olympic achievements and preparations for the future.

Shedding further light on the preparations of the event, the Sports Minister said that an Olympic exhibition and a food park are also being planned in collaboration with the New Delhi Municipal Corporation.

While the exhibition is being planned at Central Park, the food park is expected to come up at BKS Marg, in front of the state emporiums.

Public broadcaster Doordarshan will telecast the entire event live and also provide live feed to other TV channels.

In order to enable each and every participant to witness the address of the Prime Minister before he flags off the event, giant screens will be installed at strategic points.