Great Hornbill, official mascot of the 35th National Games to be hosted by Kerala in February 2014, has been christened “Ammu”.
The naming of the mascot was done by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at the flag-off ceremony of the Olympic Day run organised in the city on Friday morning in the presence of Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar and NGS commissioner and principal coordinator Jacob Punnoose.
Mr. Chandy wrote the name of the mascot on a white board and was lustily cheered by participants of the run as he finished writing down “Ammu” in Malayalam.
The Chief Minister also released various versions of the mascot, characterised by the Kerala State Chalachithra Academy, which would be elaborately used in the run-up to the games and in all awareness campaigns to be held across the State.
Meanwhile, there could be a further delay in the official announcement regarding the dates of the games. The delay has been necessitated due to the continuing suspension of the Indian Olympic Association by the International Olympic Committee.
According to a roadmap set for the return of the country to the Olympic fold, the IOA is to amend its constitution before July 1 and conduct fresh elections before September 1.
