Famous Sportsperson and Industrialist Join Odisha Sports Movement

The Odisha Government led by Biju Janta Dal (BJD), signed a Memorandum of Understanding with several leading industrialists of the company to develop the state’s sports infrastructure and development. Odisha got an immense support to develop the infrastructure.

That the following sports will be sponsored by companies that have their sports foundations: athletics by Reliance Industries Group; 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. This movement is supposed to be a significant step in Odisha government’s efforts to make Bhubaneswar a sports hub. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said that the signing of MoUs would help the state’s athletes reach world standard. He further said that “This partnership is more than just giving grants and funds; it will focus on extending the outreach of every sport in India”. Former Indian cricket captain Anil Kumble, former India shooter Gagan Narang and badminton coach, Pullela Gopichand were also present at the event. These sportsperson showed their concern and cited that how they will contribute to the movement and support the attempt of making Bhubaneswar, a sports capital. That further Kumble’s company Tenvic Sports had joined hands with the KJS Ahluwalia Group to build a High Performance Centre for weightlifting so that they can reproduce the sport at a very high level in the coastal state. “It’s really good to see the vision of the Chief Minister (Naveen Patnaik) in promoting sports in Odisha. I am really honoured to get this opportunity to support sports in the state,” said Kumble at the event. Gopichand, whose has won medals for Indian badminton on the world stage and Dalmia Cement (Bharat) Ltd will come together to empower the badminton by building a Centre for Excellence for high performance. Gopichand further said “The government of Odisha is supporting sports in a great way and thanks to them for supporting badminton as well. I believe the state has a lot of talent and the academy is expected to be up and running in the coming one year”. Gagan Narang comes up together with Aditya Birla group to support the shooting sport. That along with the high performance centre of different sports an Advanced Medial Rehabilitation Centre and a Centre of Excellence in Sports Management will also come up in the state.

By: Anuja Arora

Content: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/hockey/hockey-world-cup/anil-kumble-pullela-gopichand-and-gagan-narang-join-the-odisha-sports-movement/articleshow/66602644.cms