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Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today inaugurated a Gymnastics High Performance Centre at the Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar. The Gymnastics HPC is a joint initiative with Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India. The CM also inaugurated a new complex for Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre at the Kalinga Stadium.
Speaking at the inauguration event, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “With the inauguration of the Gymnastics HPC and the new complex of the Hockey HPC, sporting ecosystem of Odisha has become even more robust, enhancing abilities of athletes to compete and shine in both national and international competitions. These new centres will play a pivotal role in discovering untapped talents and nurturing potential medal-winning athletes.”
Dedicating Gymnastics HPC to the gymnasts of India, Chief Minister, added, “Odisha is committed to the development of gymnastics. I am delighted to see our state and AM/NS India come together towards development of gymnastics. This partnership will go a long way in creating a vibrant gymnastics ecosystem in the country and help identify and nurture young talent for the future.”
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The Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High Performance Centre has been set up to promote the sport of gymnastics in India and transform Odisha into a national centre for gymnastics excellence. It is equipped with advanced equipment and facilities and will train and prepare both senior and grassroots level athletes.
Six athletes of the Gymnastics HPC, including one in reserve, have been selected to represent India in the upcoming Asian Games 2023, a testament to their talent and the quality of training provided at the Centre. The MoU was signed in Kyoto with Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel to set up the Gymnastics HPC during the visit of Chief Minister to Japan in April, 2023.
As per the MoU, Government of Odisha will create and maintain the infrastructure for the HPC, while AM/NS India will operate and manage it and train gymnasts, women gymnasts in particular, and provide coaching development and certification and judge certification. Besides the HPC, MoU had been signed to gymnastics academies in Puri, Jeypore and Rourkela.
Chief Minister also announced the strengthening of the partnership with Tata group and starting of new HPCs in archery and sports climbing. This will further help Odisha sportspersons to develop their skills in these sports disciplines.
Since 2019, Odisha has emerged to be a hub of high performance centres in the country. Today, Odisha has high performance centres for shooting, hockey, badminton, weightlifting, athletics, sports science, swimming, football, gymnastics and a centre of excellence in sports management.
On this occasion Chief Minister also presented a cheque of Rs 10 lakh each to Odia gymnasts Rakesh Patra and Tapan Mohanty for qualifying for the upcoming Asian Games 2023.
Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera, Development Commissioner Anu Garg, Sports and Youth Services Secretary Vineel Krishna, Hockey India President Dilip Tirkey, AM/NS India Deputy Director (HR and Administration) Keiji Kubota and Tata Steel Vice-President (Corporate Services) Chanakya Chaudhary were present on the occasion.
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