Odisha has bagged the awad as Best State for the Promotion of Sports at the Sportstar Aces Awards 2023. The state won this award for the fourth time. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik received the award from Suresh Nambath, Editor, The Hindu and legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar at a ceremony hosted by The Hindu Group in Mumbai today.

The jury comprised an eminent panel of champions, with former Indian Captain Sunil Gavaskar at the helm. Others include, Abhinav Bindra, Aparna Popat, Anjali Bhagwat, Bhaichung Bhutia, MM Somaya and Viswanathan Anand.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister Patnaik said, “We are making huge investment in sports, which is investment in youth and therefore investment in our future. We have increased our budget for sports by more than 10 times in last five years. In the coming year, our sports budget is more than 1200 crores.

We have successfully hosted many global events including the recent Hockey World Cup. We are building world class facilities and nurturing talent through high performance centres and competitions.”
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PHOTO: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik receives the Sportstar Aces Award from legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar, in the presence of The Hindu Editor Suresh Nambath in Mumbai on 27 February 2023.