Bhubaneswar (Odisha) [India]: Odisha Sports Minister Tusharkanti Behera on Friday said the sporting infrastructure in the state has achieved new heights under the leadership of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Odisha is building a world-class hockey stadium in Rourkela which will host the Men’s Hockey World Cup 2023. The Rourkela city stadium would be the biggest stadium for hockey in India with a sitting capacity of 20,000. The state recently hosted FIH Hockey men’s Junior World Cup 2021. This was the first major international hockey tournament held in India after the COVID-19 pandemic halted all events in March 2020. As the National Para-Badminton Championship got underway on Friday in Bhubaneswar, the Sports Minister reiterated CM Naveen Patnaik’s call of making Odisha a major contributor towards making India a sporting hub. “I would like to quote CM’s Naveen Patnaik’s statement ‘sports for youth, youth for future’. For the last eight to 10 years, Odisha is hosting all the national and international events successfully like Hockey India League, Hockey World Cup, junior Hockey World Cup and now we are going to host in 2023 the Hockey Men’s World Cup,” Tusharkanti Behera told ANI after inaugurating the fourth National Para-Badminton Championship here in Bhubaneswar. “So the development of sportspersons as well the sports infrastructure has achieved new heights under the leadership of CM Naveen Patnaik. I would say the future of para-athletes and all sportsperson is very high in Odisha. I hope for the bright future of all the athletes,” he added. Last week, the Odisha CM had visited Kalinga Stadium to review the progress of the major sports infrastructure projects within its premises, particularly the indoor aquatic centre, which once complete, will be an iconic facility for swimmers. During this visit, Naveen Patnaik inaugurated five sports infrastructure facilities and laid the foundation stone for 89 multi-purpose indoor halls. With so many activities going on in the state, the Sports Minister aspires to make Odisha a major contributor to the growth of sporting culture in India. “Since we have been successfully organising so many events in Odisha, I hope in future Odisha will be a big contributor in organising ….all these kinds of events,” said Tusharkanti Behera. The ongoing Para-Badminton National Championship will witness the ‘Golden Boy’ of Odisha, Pramod Bhagat who won India’s first-ever badminton gold at the Paralympics. The gold medallist was also awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award recently. Tusharkanti Behera feels Pramod Bhagat’s remarkable achievement in the Tokyo Paralympics has inspired sportsperson from the state. “After Pramod Bhagat’s gold medal in the Paralympics, the aspiration of para-badminton players and other para-athletes has gone very far. Pramod Bhagat’s gold has inspired the sportsperson from Odisha and I feel athletes from the state will bring more laurels in the future,” Tusharkanti Behera signed off. Coming to the National Para-Badminton Championship, the Para Sports Association of Odisha along with the Department of Sports and Youth Government of Odisha is organising the three-day mega event in which over 500 players are participating. The event is being held at two venues, Railway Indoor Stadium, Bhubaneswar in association with K.C. Memorial Trust, and Udaan Badminton Academy from December 24 to 26 under the Aegis of Paralympic Committee of India and Badminton Association of India.
