Nitish flags off ‘Hockey Gaurav Yatra’ to promote first mega sports event in Bihar

The ‘Trophy Gaurav Yatra’ is aimed at spreading awareness about hockey among girls, said officials. The yatra, comprising students, former players and sports officials, will start on a bus which will travel across all 38 districts in Bihar. The participants will fly to Haryana, Jharkhand, Orissa and Punjab as part of the yatra from October 14 to November 10.

The Bihar government sanctioned `10 crore for the sports event. The Chief Minister inaugurated the astro turf at the hockey ground in Rajgir on National Sports Day on August 29. A Bihar government official said: “As Bihar is hosting such a prestigious international event for the first time, we want people to know how the state government is promoting sports, especially among women.”

The Women Asian Champions Trophy is being jointly organised by the sports department of Bihar government, Bihar State Sports Authority, Hockey India and Asian Hockey Federation.

A press statement from the state government read: “The objective of the ‘Trophy Gaurav Yatra’ is to make this competition a success by developing sports culture in the state and increasing the participation of women of the state in the field of sports.” The Rajgir district administration will organise a function to honour the members of the ‘Trophy Gaurav Yatra’.

Nitish Kumar has often received criticism for “not doing enough to promote sports” in the state. The state government has made it a matter of prestige to ensure the success of the event, said the officials.