By IANS
Thiruvananthapuram : As the 100-day countdown for the Military World Games – to be held in Hyderabad – began Sunday, a car rally to mark the event was flagged off here.
Minister of Sports, Law and Parliamentary Affairs M. Vijaya Kuman kicked off the rally, titled "Chalo Hyderabad", being led by Lt. Col. Sanjeev Mehra of 1 Kerala NCC Battalion.
Ten teams of armed forces, coordinated by Maj. Vivek Garg of 14 Assam, are participating in the rally, which will cover a distance of 3,500 km over 18 days (including return journey) and will pass through states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.
The rally will move across Kochi, Thrissur, Coimbatore, Salem, Bangalore, and Chittoor and will join the main rally at Kadappa on July 11 and finish at Hyderabad.
Kerala Tourism and Maruti Udyog Ltd. have joined hands with the Indian Army to mark the event. Maruti will be providing technical and on the road support and Kerala Tourism is organising various activities en route to promote the state's tourism potential.
A press statement quoting Defence Minister A.K. Antony's message to the rally said: "I am sanguine that this leg of the rally will further promote the spirit of friendship through sports, respect for the soldier, and role of armed forces in nation building. It is indeed a befitting tribute to the Indian Armed Forces and our country that we have been chosen to conduct the fourth World Military Games."
The Military World Games will be held in Hyderabad from October 14 to 21 this year. For the first time, the games are being held outside Europe.
So far, 71 countries have confirmed participation in this year's games. A total of 16 events, including two demonstration sports (Hockey and Kabaddi) and the exhibition game of Polo will take place.