CONRAD DIAS
Ranchi, June 23: June 23 is celebrated as World Olympic Day which is observed to commemorate the beginning of the modern Olympic Games. The event honours the virtue and health advantages of participating in sports. Additionally, the International Olympic Committee was founded on International Olympic Day (IOC).
Every year on June 23, Athletes and people from all around the world gather to organise various sporting activities. International Olympic Day celebrations are overseen by national Olympic committees from every country in the world.
Jharkhand is known for producing some world-class athletes who have represented India in Olympics in the years gone by. Names Such as Sylvanus Dungdung and Deepika Kumari have brought glory to Jharkhand by representing India in the mega event.
Lagatar24.com spoke to Purnima Mahato, the coach of Archer Deepika Kumari and asked about the current status of Archery in Jharkhand.
“The facilities provided by the government are good when it comes to Archery but I would like to request them that they should also look into the job opportunities for the athletes. Due to lack of jobs, many good archers are leaving the state and are playing from other states in order to get a good job,” she said.
She added that Jharkhand is proud of the Archers that represent the country. The likes of Komalika and Ankita are the other two budding archers from Jharkhand that have a very high potential.
Former India Hockey player Sylvanus Dung Dung was part of the victorious Indian team that won gold in the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Since then, Indian hockey has been waiting to taste success in the mega event. He was awarded the Dhyanchand Award in 2016 after waiting for 36 years.
In an earlier interview with lagatar24.com, he said that the current national team has to up their game in order to taste success in World Cups and Olympics.
“The men’s team ended up in third place during the recently concluded Olympics. I felt that their game practice needed to improve a lot in order to finish at the top two positions,” he said.
Every year, a topic is chosen for International Olympic Day. Together for a happy world is the theme for 2022. The subject for this year honours how sports can bring people together regardless of their race, religion, or geographic location. The theme emphasizes the role of athletics as a vehicle for peace and unity.