BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday inaugurated the Naval Tata Hockey Academy (NTHA) at Kalinga Stadium here for grooming the best hockey talent in the State. The academy was opened in Bhubaneswar as part of the three-pronged Tata Odisha Hockey Programme, a joint initiative of Tata Steel, Tata Trusts and Government of Odisha to nurture sports talent in the State.
At present, 24 junior girls including 18 from Odisha have been identified to join the high-performance centre (HPC). The HPC will accommodate another six girls to complete the first batch. In the coming years, the centre will also add 30 boys.
Earlier, Tata Trust conducted a talent scouting program in Deogarh, Sundargarh, Dhenkanal and Bhubaneswar in Odisha and Simdega district in Jharkhand. Around 350 talents were shortlisted, of whom 24 have been enrolled in the HPC.
“Bhubaneswar is fast emerging as the sports capital of India. With the establishment of NTHA, youth from the State will get best-in-class training on artificial turf from an early age which will enable players to compete on par with their international counterparts,” said Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Mishra.
As per the MoU, the State Government will facilitate infrastructural support and Tata Trust will provide coaching and technical support.
Among others CEO and MD, Tata Steel, TV Narendran, VP, Corporate Services, Tata Steel, Chanakya Chaudhary and Senior Advisor of Tata Trusts Burzis Taraporevala were present.