BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Saturday said the state government is making sustained efforts to emerge as a global sports capital by strengthening grassroots infrastructure, nurturing sporting talent and providing world-class training facilities.
Addressing the state-level National Sports Day celebration, Majhi said the government’s vision for the state’s sporting transformation will follow the ‘Padia Ru Podium’ (playground to podium) approach.
Calling upon youngsters to adopt the spirit and discipline of hockey legend Major Dhyan Chand, whose birth anniversary is observed as National Sports Day, the chief minister said the government is working with the mantra, “Kheliba Odisha, Jitiba Odisha” (Odisha will play, Odisha will win).
Majhi said modern stadiums are being constructed in all 314 blocks at an estimated cost of Rs 4,124 crore to promote sports at the grassroots. A world-class sports complex is being developed at Gothapatna in Bhubaneswar, while the Baji Rout Regional Sports Hub in Dhenkanal and five other regional sports hubs are also being established.
The government is also focusing on discovering rural sporting talent through the CM’s Trophy, while sports equipment is being distributed among youths in 485 villages across 10 Maoist-affected districts, he said.
Majhi also highlighted Odisha’s selection to host the 2028 Asian and World Athletics Indoor Championships, describing it as a historic achievement for the state.
The chief minister presented the 2025 Biju Patnaik Sports and Adventure Awards to sportspersons, coaches, officials and others for their contribution to sports.
Deaf karateka Loma Swain received Biju Patnaik Sports Award for outstanding performance in Sports and Games. Loma is the first Odisha deaf karateka to win a bronze medal in the senior women 50 kg kumite category in the 25th Deaflympic Games-2025 at Tokyo.
Odisha’s limbless archer Payal Nag and sprinter Pratik Maharana received the best upcoming junior athletes award. Payal created history by winning double gold medals at the World Archery Para Series in Thailand. She also defeated paralympic medallist Sheetal Devi.
The promising junior sprinter Pratik bagged double silver medals in the 100 and 200m race at the SAF Games. He broke the national 200m record by clocking 21,24 sec.
Olympian sprinter Pranati Mishra received the lifetime achievement award. Mishra was part of the Indian 4X400 women’s team which bagged the silver medal in the 1990 Asian Games.
Other award winners include, para-athlete Suchitra Parida (best para sports person), Dhenkanal HPC weightlifting coach Gopal Krishna Dash (excellence in coaching), Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra of Samaleswari Football Academy (best contribution to promotion of sports and games), Shakti Prakash Nanda (excellence in sports journalism) and Prabodh Kumar Mohanty (best technical official/support staff).
Somaya Ranjan Behera, late Samir Kumar Ray and late Nilamadhav Panda received Biju Patnaik Bravery Award. All the award winners received citation, trophy along with cash award.