Budding hockey players of Simdega, which is known as the hockey cradle of Jharkhand, wielded paintbrushes instead of hockey sticks on World Olympic Day on Friday.

The World Olympic Day is celebrated on June 23 to commemorate the Olympic Games and promote the values of the Olympic movement.

Nearly 67 tribal boys and girls from humble backgrounds in the Kurkura panchayat and its nearby villages under Bansjore block of Simdega district, around 40km from the district headquarters, took part in the painting competition held between 5 am and 8 am at the hockey ground built by the villagers and children.

“It is among the remote villages of Simdega and we decided to host the painting competition to make the children aware of hockey stars from their own district who have gone on to bag national and international honours. The objective was to make them serious towards hockey as a career instead of just playing for fun,” said Hockey Simdega president Manoj Konbegi.

The once Naxalite-hit Simdega district has so far produced over 40 international hockey players, including Olympians Michael Kindo, Sylvanus Dungdung and Salima Tete.

“We had taken a few promising hockey players to watch the Hockey world cup in Rourkela (Odisha) earlier this year and we were happy to see one of them (Sahil Majhi) in the Under-14 boys category painting Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium at Rourkela. A few of them also painted their own Kurkura ground while others painted hockey legends from their state like Sylvanus Dungdung,” Konbegi added.

The painting competition was organised for boys and girls in Under-10 and Under-14 age groups.

“It was my first visit to a big hockey stadium and I painted whatever I could recall during my stay at the stadium,” said Majhi whose painting fetched him the first prize in the Under-14 boys’ category. He was also announced the overall champion.

In the girls’ category, Agasti Manjhi, who painted the Kurkura hockey ground, was adjudged overall champion.

“We gave each of the winners in respective age groups a hockey ball and a T-shirt,” said Konbegi.

The children were also shown a video of the Indian women’s team captain at Hockey World Cup Salima Tete, who was in March this year appointed Asian Hockey Federation (AHF) athletes ambassador.

“It was shown to inspire them to emulate Tete who also battled poverty in the district to rise to international fame in hockey. We told the children that they can also become like Salima Tete and Michael Kindo if they work hard and assured them of all cooperation from the district hockey federation,” Konbegi added.