National Sports Council (NSC) on Tuesday unveiled mascot, logo, slogan and anthem for the eighth National Games to the held in Nepalgunj in November and December.

Elephant Calf was unveiled as the mascot of the Games while logo carries portrayal of Gautam Buddha, symbol of peace pigeon and also representation of Bardiya National Park. NSC member secretary Keshab Kumar Bista said they chose elephant calf as the mascot to promote tourism in the region. “As Banke and Bardiya National Parks are in province 5, we opted to go for elephant calf as the mascot of the game. The mascot will be helpful for tourism promotion in the region,” said Bista.

‘Eighth National Games in our province, sweat and hardship in our own country’ is the slogan of the Games prepared by Bista himself. Narayan Khatiwada is the lyricist of the anthem. Bista also informed that they have sped up construction works of infrastructure to meet the deadline. The expected costs of the Games is Rs 1.5 billion besides additional expenditure of Rs 500 million, informed Bista. The Games will be spread over Nepalgunj, Kohalpur, Khajura and Bardiya of Banke district. The National Games will feature 35 different events.

Bista also laid the foundation stone for a modern volleyball stadium in Khajura Rural Municipality in Banke.