With the Youth Commonwealth Games coming up in Pune next month, Mumbai witnessed an eventful torch relay on Saturday starting from Sports Authority of India, Kandivali, and ending in the southern part of the city. The rally which had students from various schools and colleges participating had a stop over at Bandras Rizvi College.

Various sports personalities from different fields also ran for the cause. Former hockey Olympians Joaquim Carvalho and Merwyn Fernandes, former footballer Godfrey Pereira, well-known cueist Yasin Merchant and chess players like Praveen Thipsay, Bhagyashree Thipsay were also part of the rally.

Talking about the experience of running for the Youth Common, Bhagyashree said “It was wonderful to run for the cause. These kind of rallies create awareness and curiosity among the people that how crucial these games are for our talented upcoming youngsters,” she said.

Merchant said this game is a stepping stone for upcoming Olympians. “The Youth Commonwealth Games is a stepping stone for upcoming and talented youngsters who will represent India in the Olympics in future. It was great to run for their cause and I hope with the way Indian Olympians made us proud by winning its first individual gold and bronze this year I think in the near future we will do much better.”