The Commonwealth Games Organising Committee today started an awareness campaign in Kerala to give the Games a pan-India presence. Shera, the Games’ official mascot, would be introduced in various states during the campaign.
“As per the contract, the Games go by the name of the host city, which in this case is Delhi. However, it is not Delhi-centric. Starting from Kochi in Kerala, we will organise roadshows in Kolkata, the north eastern states, Goa and Ahmedabad. These activities are a prelude to the Games and will go on till June 25, till the Queen’s Baton Relay reaches Wagah border,” said Jiji Thomson, special director general of the organising committee.
The relay was launched on October 29 last year by the Head of the Commonwealth, Queen Elizabeth. The international sector of the relay would traverse 1,70,000 kilometres by land, air and sea and touch all the Commonwealth countries in all continents. The baton would arrive in India from Pakistan at the Wagah border on June 25 to start its 100-day national tour. The national sector would be twice as long as the domestic sectors of the baton relays of the previous two Games in Manchester and Melbourne, according to the organising committee. It would visit 28 state capitals, along with other cities covering more than 20,000 kilometres. The Games would be held from October 3-14, wherein 71 Commonwealth Games associations and 8,000 athletes and officials would participate in 17 disciplines.
The committee had a budget of Rs 40 crore for advertising in electronic and print media, besides organising promotional activities like painting competitions for schoolchildren.
