BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Gymnastics High-Performance Centre (HPC) and the new Hockey HPC at the Kalinga Stadium here on Tuesday. Speaking at the inaugural event, Naveen said Odisha follows a partnership model for sporting excellence.
“With the inauguration of the new Hockey and Gymnastics HPC, Odisha’s sporting ecosystem has become even more robust, enhancing athletes’ abilities to compete and shine in both national and international competitions. These new centres will play a pivotal role in discovering untapped talents and nurturing potential medal-winning athletes,” he said.
On the occasion, the chief minister also presented a cheque of Rs 10 lakh to Odia gymnasts Rakesh Patra and Tapan Mohanty for qualifying for the upcoming Asian Games 2023. He also announced of strengthening partnership with Tata Group and starting new HPCs in Archery and Sports climbing.
Dedicating the Gymnastics HPC to the gymnasts of India, Naveen said the state government and Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India partnership will go a long way in creating a vibrant gymnastics ecosystem in the country and help identify and nurture young talents for the future.
The chief minister said he was extremely happy about the partnership with Tata Group for hockey development at HPC and even the centres at the grassroots. “This will help nurture talent and contribute towards producing elite players for the national teams,” he added.
For the Gymnastics HPC, an MoU was signed between the chief minister and Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel in Kyoto during the former’s visit to Japan in April. The Hockey HPC is in partnership with Tata Steel and Tata Trusts.