Countdown for Commonwealth Youth Games will start from Sep 24

Pune, Sep 20 (UNI) Come September 24, the 750-day countdown for the Commonwealth Youth Games to be hosted here in 2007 will start.

The youth from over 70 countries are likely to participate in these games.

A meeting of the luminaries from the field of sports comprising Padmashri, Arjuna and Shiv Chhtarapati awardees as well as international referees, judges and organisers, has been convened here tomorrow to chalk out elaborate plans for the upcoming event.

The meet will be chaired by Mrs Arnavaz Damania, the former president of Indian Women's Hockey Association.

The Commonwealth Youth Games were alloted to Pune over Bangalore and Hyderabad due to the concerted efforts of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President Suresh Kalmadi, who is also a city MP.

A Maharashtra Amateur Athletic Association (MAAA) release here today stated that the meeting will be attended by Dhyan Chand awardee Harishchandra Birajdar, Smita Yadav (Shirole), Padmashri Gopal Phadke, MOA secretary general Prof Balasaheb Landge, Arjuna awardees Manoj Pingale, Kaka Pawar, Surekha Dravid, Shakuntala Khataukar, Shantaram Jadhav, Shubhangi Kulkarni, Hemant Takalkar, Nitin, Sandeep Kirtane, Olympian Maruti Adkar, Balkrishna Akotkar, former India women hockey captain Rekha Bhide.

Noted coaches like Suresh Gujrati, Nandan Bal, Sqadran Leader Raj Gulati, Moreshwar Gurjar, sports organiser Prakash Tulpule, Girish Natu, Pralhad Sawant, Sunder Iyer, Rajendra Deshmukh, Mahesh Medekar and Mrs Nita Talaalikar.

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