Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s stature as one of the biggest sports hubs in the country is set to be further enhanced with the addition of two High Performance Centres (HPCs).
A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was inked between Odisha and Tata Steel in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday to establish HPCs in two Olympic sports — Archery and Sport Climbing.
The Odisha Tata Archery Academy and Odisha Tata Steel Adventure Foundation Sport Climbing Academy will be set up in Bhubaneswar for development of sportspersons in the respective disciplines. Regional Development Centres will also be set up for archery, and both academies will also run grassroots programmes.
“We are delighted to collaborate with Tata Steel in this endeavour. Our partnership with Tata Steel for Hockey High Performance Centre has been exemplary and producing encouraging results. We have a huge potential for Archery and Sports Climbing in Odisha and in the country, and with this new association we’ll be able to collectively contribute towards creating a conducive environment for athletes in these disciplines,” the Odisha CM said.
Secretary Vineel Krishna represented Odisha’s Sports & Youth Services Department, while Tata Steel was represented by Chanakya Chaudhary, Vice-President, Corporate Services Tata Steel Ltd and Chairman Tata Steel Adventure Foundation.
There are already Hockey, Football, Swimming, Athletics, Gymnastics, Sports Science, Shooting and Weightlifting HPCs at the Kalinga Stadium here. It’s a unique partnership model between a state and a corporate that has produced elite athletes in various disciplines.
