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Assam celebrates Abhiruchi Sports Day, its first Arjuna Awardee’s birthday
Abhiruchi Sports Day is celebrated in respect of Bhogeswar Baruah who won gold in 800-metre event of 1966 Asian Games.
Assam celebrated the birthday of Bhogeswar Baruah, the first Arjuna awardee from the Northeast on September 3 with mass jogging followed by several other events to commemorate Abhiruchi Sports Day. It has been celebrated since the last 35 years in respect of Baruah who won gold in 800-metre event of 1966 Asian Games.
Baruah, 79, also took part in the celebration in Guwahati. Though Baruah is not keeping well his spirit during the mass jogging was full of energy. Several hundred school students as Baruah greeted them and expressed his happiness. Sportspersons from the region also joined in the celebration of Abhiruchi Sports Day, which was observed in several places across the state.
“I feel good that people remember my birthday. I would be happy to see more youths to participate in sports,” Baruah said.
“This is an occasion to celebrate sports and we want more participation from the schools and young people. We also want to motivate the young children to take up sports seriously and bring laurels for the country,” Abhiruchi’s organising chairman, Bolen Mohan Chakraborty said.
Also Read: https://thebridge.in/assam-sports-school-first-arjuna-awardee-bhogeswar-baruah/)
On August 3, Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal said that Bhogeswar Baruah is an “inspiration for us all and his contribution towards Assam's sports scenario, both as an athlete and coach, is immense”.
Assam will have a sports school after Baruah’s name. In February, Sonowal had laid the foundation stone of Bhogeswar Baruah State Sports School at Sarusajai Sports Complex in Guwahati. The school which is the first of its kind in the state will be built at a sprawling 20 bigha of land where theoretical and practical coaching will be provided at six prescribed disciplines – athletics, boxing, football, weightlifting, archery and taekwondo.
The member secretary of the State level Advisory Committee for Student and Youth Welfare Lakhya Konwar who is also the president of the Athletic Association of Assam (AAA) said the school will be operational by the January of 2020.
