By Bizodisha Bureau, Bhubaneswar, June 29, 2017 : ‘Olly’ Turtle– the mascot of the Asian Athletics Championships-2017 (AAC)- on Thursday returned Bhubaneswar after completing road shows across the state.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik welcomed Olly with a flower bouquet at the Secretariat here. On June 12 last, Patnaik had flagged off the road show vehicles carrying the mascot at Kalinga Stadium here.

Olly represents the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles that travel thousands of miles in the ocean and arrive in millions every year on Rushikulya and Gahirmatha beaches on Odisha coast for aribada – their annual nesting.

The vehicles carrying Olly covered all the district headquarters and cities of Odisha to generate awareness amongst the masses and create a sense of belongingness to the championships.

The 22nd Asian Athletics Championships is scheduled to be held at the Kalinga Stadium here from July 6 to 9.

More than 800 athletes from around 45 countries including 20 world champions would participate in 42 events— 21 for men and 21 for women.

This is for the third time that the Asian Athletics Championships will be held in India, after New Delhi (1989) and Pune (2013).

The 22nd edition of Asia’s flagship Athletics meet will be a qualifying event for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Championships in London.