The stage is set for a heady mix of Olympic and traditional sports events and a display of bizzare physical exploits when the Kila Raipur Sports Festival unfolds its three-day sporting extravaganza on the 7 acre open stadium of this small village, situated 17 km south ofLudhiana, on February7, 8, 9 and 10.

Popularly known as the rural Olympics the annual rural event this year will see the country's top athletes like the fastest 100-metre spinter Vishal Saxena, the 800-metre nationalchampion Gharaunda Ram and the nation's 4 X 100 metre Olympic woman sprinter Harwant Kaur in action. The top hockey teams like the Punjab Police, Punjab and Sindh Bank and the BSF and the four best basketball teams of the state will also sweat it out for the title.

The rural mela attracts participants from all over Punjab. And age is no bar. From a seven year old to a 70 year old they will display their physical prowess and trickery angling for the prize money which is being doled out for each event by the Grewal Sports Association which has been running this annual carnival for the past 73 years.

This year the prize money for Athletic events has been raised to Rs 5,000 for the winner andRs 3,000 and Rs 2,000 for the first and second runner-up, respectively.

More than 5,000 sportspersons, both in Olympic and traditional style, will converge on thedusty fields watched by over 1 lakh spectators and  viewed on television all over India asalso lovers of this sporting event in Canada and England during the three-day carnival.

Foreign television companies will be competing with the Indian TV channels to shoot theentire three-day bonanza which will include the prized bullock-cart race. The eliminationrace will see the bulls galloping down with the jockeys balancing precariously on their small carts. This race is the main attraction of the mela. Prized oxen from all over the region will be participating in the elimination race to be held one day before the inauguration.

Tent pegging will also be a major event which will require clocklike precision and uncanny sense of anticipation as the riders pierce the planted pegs while galloping down on theirhorses.

The festival on such a large scale has been made possible because of the sponsorship bycompanies who have love for the sport high on their agenda.This year the main sponsorsare Hayward 5000 and the co-sponsors J K Tyres and Ambuja Cement.

J K Tyres will bring in their expertise in international sports to the Kila Raipur festival. Theyalso want a special binding with the farmers for a better awareness of their rural customers.

The festival will be inaugurated by two-time Indian Olympic hockey captain Pargat Singh, who is also the Sports Director of Punjab, on February 8 and the chief guest on February 10 will be Mr Ashwini Kumar, Union Minister of State for Industry. On the second day the Army Corps Commander of Jalandhar Area will be the chief guest.

The inauguration and closing ceremony will colourful events with fireworks illuminating the skies. Each evening after the sporting events the spectators and the participants will beregaled by Punjabi folk singers and artistes performing the giddha, bhangra, Rajasthani dance and the Haryanvi dance.