Odisha to spend Rs 4000 crore at block level for sports stadium
Deputy CM Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo and Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey praise Odisha's sports vision at a conclave ahead of the Sports Journalists’ AGM
BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Deputy Chief Minister Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo appealed to one and all to shun negativity and bias when promoting young talent, irrespective from which region it emerged.
Speaking at the conclave Odisha Sports – Growth and Opportunities, organised by Odisha Sports Journalists Association ahead of the Sports Journalists Federation of India annual general meeting here, Kanak Vardhan said the career of an athlete is very short and injury prone too. “So, it is imperative that we dont kill it before it takes off,” said the very knowledgeable Deputy Chief Minister.
“We need only one pole for mallakhamb and a few poles for kho kho. Such sports can be promoted, especially in rural parts of the country, to realise our goal of a healthier and fitter India,” he said about the need to sport traditional sports which require least expenditure and still help in making a healthy India.
Responding to earlier speaker and champion athlete and one of Odisha’s pride Olympian Shravani Nanda’s observation about the issue of foreign and Indian coaches, Kanak Vardhan said players would have to, if required, take help of foreign coaches to compete at the highest levels. “Indian coaches should accompany athletes on foreign trips to upgrade their own skills,” he said.
For his part, Hockey India president and former India captain Dilip Tirkey said thanks to the efforts of the State government, Odisha has the best hockey infrastructure in the world in Bhubaneswar and Rourkela.
“The way we have organised World Cups and promoted the game, I am sure Odisha is the hockey capital of India now,” he said.
“And, Odisha government proved to be lucky mascot for ever since it has been promoting hockey Indian hockey is on the rise winning two consecutive medals in 2020 and 2024 Olympics and also doing well in Asian Games,” he said.
Tirkey also reminded that the Odisha government has sanctioned Rs 4000 crores to construct full-fledged stadia across the State at each block level to promote other sports.
“This is unprecedented and I am glad to inform that Odisha has become a role model in not just setting up world-class sports infrastructure but also promoting sports in a big way,” he said. Tirkey, however, stressed the need to have trained and quality support staff from the grassroots level for better results.
And, Shravani Nanda questioned the practice of hiring foreign coaches and sending athletes on foreign training instead of training Indian coaches to achieve highest standards. She also expressed concern over the low awareness regarding use of performance-enhancing drugs in Indian sports.
President of OSJA Sandeep Mishra, delivering the keynote address, traced the growth of sports in Odisha in the post-Independence era, and said efforts should be made to create a sports culture to truly make the State a sporting powerhouse. Secretary of OSJA Suresh Kumar Swain proposed the vote of thanks.
Past presidents G Viswanath and Subodh Malla Barua and senior members of OSJA Sanatan Pani, K Ravi and Himanshu Patimishra were felicitated on the occasion.
