The Jharkhand Olympic Association will be celebrating Olympic Day with a theme to support Indian athletes for next month’s sporting extravaganza in Tokyo, Japan.

Physical sports events are not possible during the pandemic and the JOA wants to celebrate the occasion by adopting other means.

Olympic Day was first celebrated in 1948 to commemorate the birth of the modern Olympic Games on June 23 at the Sorbonne in Paris. The goal was to promote participation in sports across the globe regardless of age, gender or athletic ability.

The state’s apex sports body has lined up three programmes to mark the Olympic Day on June 23. From quiz competitions, selfie points to essays, the citizens of Jharkhand will have ample opportunity to support Indian athletes in the run-up to the Olympic Games.

The quiz and essay competition is open for all age groups. “We want everyone to celebrate Olympic Day and rejoice the occasion,” said JOA secretary Madhukant Pathak.

According to Pathak, the quiz competition from June 20 to 23 on Radio Dhoom will have questions on the Tokyo Olympic Games. Five questions will be asked every day. Winners will be declared once JOA receives the answers forwarded by Radio Dhoom.

The JOA secretary added that selfie points will be set up in all the 24 districts. “We are working on a design to be put up on flex. The message on the flex will carry the message `We Support Team India in the Olympics’. The design should be ready in a day or two. The district Olympic associations will be earmarking selfie points in their respective cities, which, among others, will include Jamshedpur, Dhanbad and Ranchi,” Pathak said.

“We are also organising an essay competition `Olympic movement in India’ which will stretch till July 10. “We have requested two lecturers of Ranchi College to go through the essays and choose the top three,” Pathak, who is also treasurer of Athletics Federation of India, informed.

Essays can be sent to on jharkhandolympic@gmail.com and Whatsapp 9431105669) till July 10 and the results will be announced and prizes distributed before the start of Olympic Games on July 23. “The participants can send essays (in Hindi and English) not exceeding 100 lines,” Pathak said.

Moreover, a signature campaign will also be one of the events to mark Olympic Day. “Signatures supporting the Indian team in the Olympics will be on a 5 m canvas which will be put in all the districts. The district Olympic outfits will be arranging the canvas once we send them the design,” a JOA functionary said.

The signatures will be sent to Indian Olympic Association (IOA) before the departure of Indian team to Tokyo starting July 17.

Barring the selfie point, winners of quiz and essay competition will receive prizes in the form of T-shirts. “We have ordered 500 T-shirts with'' We support Team India written on the front,” he added.