Ranchi, Oct 17 (PTI) Jharkhand Sports minister Sudivya Kumar on Friday said the state will host the 4th South Asian (SAAF) Senior Athletics Championships 2025, from October 24 to 26 at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium in Ranchi.
He unveiled the official logo, mascot, and anthem of the three-day SAAF Athletics championship.
The minister said the SAAF logo embodies the spirit of sports intertwined with the soul of Jharkhand – “the land of sports, tribes, culture, and nature.” The green colour palette reflects Jharkhand’s lush forests and ecological abundance, symbolising the forest spirit that lives through its people. The design beautifully blends athletic dynamism with cultural authenticity, celebrating Jharkhand as a land of sports, heritage,
and community pride.
The official mascot for the event, named ‘Dalma’, is inspired by Jharkhand’s state animal, the elephant.
The minister said that ‘Dalma’ is the spirit of the land reimagined for the arenas, carrying the strength of sport, the grace of the forest, and the heartbeat of every player. Her skin bears Sohrai and Khovar tattoos, the living art of Jharkhand’s tribes. Her athletic wear blooms in India’s colours, echoing unity in motion.
The official anthem for the SAAF games, ‘Jharkhand Bhar De Hunkar Johar’, is written in the Nagpuri language, and it sets the tone for the championship, evoking anticipation and pride, with the promise that new champions will rise at the SAAF games here.
While addressing reporters here, the Sports minister said that the inaugural event will be held on October 24 at around 6 pm. He said that around 5,000 youths of Jharkhand, who are gaining skills at day-boarding, residential, and other facilities, will also be invited to this event to introduce them to and inspire them with the international athletes.
Tourism, Arts, Culture, Sports & Youth Affairs department secretary Manoj Kumar said, “Athletes from six member countries of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will participate in the games, except Pakistan.” He said that as many as 300 athletes from six South Asian nations, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, and Sri Lanka will participate in this three-day event. In all, 37 athletic events will be held during this championship.
One of the officials said, “24 athletes from Bangladesh, eight from Bhutan, 30 from Nepal, 19 from Maldives, 83 from Sri Lanka, and 93 athletes from India will participate in the event.” In total, 265 athletes will come for this three-day event. All the athletes will come to Ranchi on October 22.
On this occasion, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) was exchanged between the Athletics Federation of India and the Sports Directorate.
This is the third time India will host the SAAF Senior Athletics Championships, following the first edition in 1997 and the third in 2008 at Kochi’s Maharaja’s College Stadium. PTI RPS RPS RG
