BHUBANESWAR: Odisha Government has bagged the prestigious Best State Promoting Sports Award at the FICCI India Sports Awards 2019 held at New Delhi on Wednesday.
Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera and Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev received the award on behalf of the Government at a function where sporting icons were honoured for their achievements.
The award was given to Odisha in recognition for its superlative achievement and contributions to promotion of sports.
In last one year, Odisha has made significant strides in sports by hosting some of the prestigious international sporting events, including the Hockey Olympic Qualifiers and Commonwealth Table Tennis Championship.
It has also established five High-Performance Centers in different sports disciplines in collaboration with India’s top sporting icons and corporates.
Having established top sporting infrastructure, it recently bagged the rights to host the Men’s Hockey World Cup in 2023.
The FICCI India Sports Awards acknowledges and recognises contribution of sportspersons and stakeholders for excellence during a year.
The awardees were judged by a jury headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, retired Judge of Delhi High Court.