BHUBANESWAR: Olympics medalist Gagan Narang graced the hockey turf on Friday as he attended the Hockey World Cup 2018 match between England and Ireland at Kalinga Stadium here.The shooter also met with the players of Indian hockey team to cheer them before their fight on Saturday and hoped that the team can achieve a landmark moment by lifting the title at home.
“Odisha has set an example how to make best use of sports for the social upliftment. Many sporting icons of the globe are visiting the stadium to witness the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup. Earlier, I have witnessed several hockey matches during Olympics, but this is a unique one in comparison to other world cup matches. The involvement of spectators and the facilities in newly-developed stadium are best in the world,” he said.
Narang also hopeful that in the new changing scenario in the State, the shooting sports will grow in future. Two Odia shooters - Sriyanka Sarangi and Ansika Pradhan - have already made the country proud by winning international medals. “We must provide them better infrastructure and training facilities to nourish their talents,” he added.
Earlier, the shooting sports use to be expensive, but the things have been changed with support of SAI and the Central Government. This apart, the Odisha Government has decided to set up an academy here to promote the sports, he said.Last month, Narang had pledged their support to help Odisha Government develop the State’s sports infrastructure. He also witnessed the match between Australia and China.