BHUBANESWAR: The Odisha government, which is aiming to secure the title of ‘national sports capital’ for Bhubaneswar, has signed agreements with seven top business groups to nurture sporting talent and bolster the sports ecosystem in the state.
At a special event, ‘Sports in Odisha’ at the Kalinga Stadium in the Odisha capital, the state’s Sports and Youth Services Department signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with seven leading industrialists for a high performance centre to provide world-class training to promising sports talents.
“The signing of this MoU has created a long-lasting partnership which will result in producing sportspersons of world standards. But this partnership is more than just giving grants and funds, it will focus on extending the outreach of every sport in India,” Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik said here Monday after the MoUs were signed.
The following sports are being sponsored by the following industries, which have their own foundations for youth sports: Athletics by Reliance Industries Ltd; Football and Swimming by JSW Group; Badminton by Dalmia Bharat Group; Weightlifting by Ahluwalia Group; Shooting by Aditya Birla Group; and Hockey by Tata Group.
“It is great day not just for the state but for the country as well. This move was long overdue in order to fully develop the quality of sport and sportsmen in the country. By signing these MoUs, we have built a framework which will work towards sporting education, talent identification at grass root levels and infrastructural development at a global level,” Vishal Kumar Dev, secretary, Sports & Youth Services Department, said.
“We are partnering with the state government to set up the Reliance Foundation – Odisha High Performance Athletics Centre. This centre will train local talent under world renowned experts to develop them into Olympic Medal winners of tomorrow,” said RIL chairman Mukesh Ambani announcing his company’s consistent efforts to promote sports talents across India.
Among others who were present at the event were JSW chairman Sajjan Jindal, Dalmia Bharat Group CMD Puneet Dalmia, International Hockey Federation president Narinder Batra, former Indian badminton player and renowned coach Pullela Gopichand, former Indian cricketer Anil Kumble and Indian shooter Gagan Narang.
Alongside the signing ceremony, Patnaik also unveiled the Hockey Men’s World Cup Trophy. The World Cup will be held between November 28 and December 16.
