A total of 31 Boys (U17), including 21 from Odisha, have selected by Naval Tata Hockey Academy (NTHA), Odisha for the resident program at the NTHA Odisha High Performance Centre (HPC) in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. The list of cadets, which also includes seven from Manipur, two from Uttar Pradesh and one from Assam, was announced by NTHA Odisha Project Director Rajiv Seth today.

Besides the 31 cadets, eight more have been chosen as stand by. According to Seth, boys in the stand-by list will get another opportunity for trials when the Academy includes more cadets next year. This will be the first batch of boys at the NTHA Odisha. As many as 30 girls have been honing their skills at the HPC since last year.

A joint initiative of Tata Steel, Tata Trusts and Government of Odisha, NTHA, Odisha was inaugurated by Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on 13 August, 2019. NTHA, Odisha is functioning as part of three-pronged programme to groom hockey talents into international stars. The HPC has 10 Grassroots Centres in Sundargarh and Sambalpur districts and three Regional Development Centres in Bhubaneswar, Panposh and Sundargarh.

Department for Sports & Youth Services, Govt of Odisha, provides the entire infrastructure towards this hockey project. The day-to-day operations of the Academy and High Performance Centre are carried out by HAF (Hockey Ace Foundation) with support from Tata Trusts, Tata Steel, and IndusInd.

SELECTED BOYS FOR RESIDENT PROGRAM:

From Odisha (21): Deepak Minz, Emanuel Barla, Jasman Munda, Nelsan Barla (GK), Raju Goud, Anmol Ekka, Arbin Toppo, Sanjit Tirkey, Aryan Xess, Ashit Bilung, Sushil Kujur, Asit Lakra, Pritam Ekka, Sunil Lakra, Prasant Barla, Yojin Minz, Ritik Kujur, Akas Soreng, Sudarsan Goud, Dig Jansan Dungdung, Suraj Sahoo (GK).
From Manipur (7): T Anish Sharma, I Rohit Singh, L Silheiba Singh, Ricky Tonjam, K Somikant Singh, N Amarjit Singh, Y Budyanamda. From Uttar Pradesh (2): Akash Yadav, Premdayal Giri. From Assam (1): Pradip Mandal.

STAND BY (8): Abhisek Topno, Prateek Ujal Tirkey, Ajay Xalxo, Karma Lakra, Rohit Bakhla (All Odisha); A Suresh Sharma (Manipur), K Sunil (Andhra Pradesh), Amit Kumar (Uttar Pradesh).
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Boys selected for NTHA Odisha HPC pose with officials and support staff in Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar on 3 December, 2020.