Patna: As many as 633 athletes, which includes 290 girls, from nine eastern states will compete in 37th East Zone Junior Athletics Championship to be held at Patliputra Sports Complex in Patna from Tuesday.The three-day athletic event, that will conclude on Thursday, is being organised by Athletics Federation of India and Bihar Athletics Association with support from Bihar State Sports Authority.Athletes from Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Odisha, Sikkim and West Bengal will participate in the event. Bihar will field a contingent of 139 athletes, including 58 girls, in the championship.Bihar State Sports Authority director general-cum-CEO Ravindran Sankaran said the participation of a large number of young athletes from Bihar reflected the growing sports culture in the state and the impact of sustained govt support for sports development.
