Bhubaneswar: In a major boost to athletics and swimming, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Saturday inaugurated India’s first Indoor Athletics Centre and Indoor Aquatic Centre at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
The Indoor Athletics Centre is capable of hosting indoor continental and regional championships. It will also be a training ground for the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre, which was established in association with Reliance Foundation, and has been producing young athletes.
The centre has a 10,000 square meter track, installed by the renowned Italian firm Mondo SpA in Olympics. Besides, it has a 200-meter synthetic track, an 80m+20m running track, and designated areas for long jump, triple jump, pole vault, and shot-put, each meticulously designed to meet specific athletic requirements.
Accommodating the needs of high-performance athletes, the facility features 60 twin-sharing rooms for those undergoing full-time coaching. The facility bagged the Category 1 certification from World Athletics in December 2023.
The Indoor Aquatic Centre features temperature controlled 50 metre Olympic size swimming pool and 25 metre warm up pool. It has a seating capacity for 1,000 spectators and can host international championships.
Fitness centre, sports recovery facility and accommodation of 26 twin sharing rooms are its other features. The Odisha Inspire Institute of Sport (IIS) HPC, a joint venture with JSW group, will be operational from this aquatic centre. The Central PSU NALCO has contributed to the construction of the Indoor Aquatics Centre as a CSR funding.
The Chief Minister also laid foundation stone for Indoor Diving Centre in the Kalinga Stadium. It will feature temperature controlled diving pool of 25 metre, with an additional 5m for synchronized swimming and seating capacity for 500 spectators.
Speaking on the occasion, the Chief Minister said, “The new indoor facilities will enable our athletes to train and compete round the year without any external weather disturbances. We are confident that both Indoor Athletics Centre and the Aquatic Centre will help set new standards for sporting excellence on both international and national stages. It also marks an important step towards strengthening Odisha’s sports ecosystem and our partnership with Reliance Foundation, JSW & Inspire Institute of Sports.”
Sports & Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera; secretary, Sports & Youth Services department, Vineel Krishna; CMD of Nalco Sridhar Patra; Director of Reliance Foundation Aasish Contractor; CEO of JSW Sports Mustafa Ghouse were part of the ceremony.
Chairman of 5T & Nabin Odisha Kartik Pandian, president of Athletic Federation of India Adille Sumariwala, secretary of Swimming Federation of India Monal Choksi, veteran sports administrator Ashirbad Behera and representatives from the state associations and sports persons were present on the occasion.
