Nitish Kumar Unveils Logo, Mascot for Upcoming Women’s Asian Champions Trophy

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar unveiled the logo and mascot for the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy 2024. Scheduled to take place in Rajgir from November 11 to 20, the tournament will feature the mascot named ‘Gudiya,’ inspired by Bihar’s state bird, the sparrow. The unveiling marks a significant step toward creating a vibrant atmosphere for the upcoming championship.

Mascot Details

• The mascot, named ‘Gudiya,‘ is inspired by Bihar’s state bird, the Sparrow.
• Gudiya holds a hockey stick, symbolizing the sport, while the goalkeeper’s glove and defensive posture represent alertness and strategy.
• A nearby hockey ball signifies teamwork and sportsmanship.

Dates of 2024

• The tournament will take place in Rajgir from November 11-20.

Reason behind Gudiya Mascot Selection 

• This competition is for women hockey players.
• So the Gudiya mascot has been chosen as a symbol to reinforce the priority and commitment of the Bihar government to women empowerment.

Cultural Significance

• The design of the ‘logo’ of this competition is a symbol of the rich cultural heritage and all-round progress of glorious Bihar. 
• The Bodhi tree and hockey stick have been kept in the logo. 
• The Bodhi tree is a symbol of knowledge, power, harmony, tolerance and development which connects people with the rich spiritual and cultural history of Bihar. 
• Hockey stick is the symbol of India’s national sport hockey.

CM Remarks

• It’s a matter of great happiness that the Women’s Asian Champions Trophy, 2024 is being organized at Rajgir.
• A grand sports stadium has been built in Rajgir.
• I wish the players of the Indian women’s hockey team all the best and welcome the players coming from other countries.

Provide best Hospitality

• CM directed the officials to provide the best possible facilities to the people coming from outside.
• All the guests should be well-hosted so that they have a good experience in Bihar.

Attendees

Notable attendees included

• Bihar Sports Minister Surendra Mehta, 
• Indian women’s hockey team captain Selema Tete, 
• vice-captain Navneet Kaur, and 
• Hockey India Secretary General Bholanath Singh.

About Women’s Asian Champions Trophy

The Women’s Asian Champions Trophy is a biennial women’s international field hockey competition contested by the best six women’s national teams of the member associations of the Asian Hockey Federation.

Participating Countries 2024 : Six countries, including India, China, Thailand, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan, are participating in the championship.

Hockey Women’s Asian Champions Trophy winners list

• 2010 – South Korea
• 2011 – South Korea
• 2013 – Japan         
• 2016 – India             
• 2018 – South Korea
• 2021 – Japan
• 2023 – India

General Information

State Bird of Bihar : House Sparrow

Common Name : House Sparrow

Scientific Name : Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)

House Sparrow Male Description

• House Sparrow is a small brown-colored bird with black streaks on its back. 
• The male birds are dark brown, with a grey chest, black bib, and white cheeks. 
• The female birds are light brown and grey.

House Sparrow Female Distribution

• The House Sparrow is closely associated with human habitation. 
• They make their nests in buildings, holes or crevices in the walls; birdhouses put out by humans, etc.
• The bird mainly feeds on seeds, and during the breeding season, the adult birds feed their young ones with insects. 
• House Sparrow is found in all continents except Antarctica. In India, the bird is found in all the regions of the country.

Threats

For many years, the House Sparrow has peacefully coexisted with humans. But, in the last two decades, their population has declined rapidly. 

The reasons for their population decline are,

• Rapid urbanization leading to the shortage of nesting sites due to modern designs, 
• Installation of many mobile towers, 
• Loss of foraging grounds as green spaces in cities are replaced by concrete structures, rapid hunting, etc.