Bhubaneswar: A High-Performance Centre for badminton by the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation (PGBF) with support from Dalmia Cements Bharat Ltd (DCBL) will be set up at Kalinga Stadium premises in Bhubaneswar.
A comprehensive presentation on the vision, design and road map for setting up a world-class badminton academy with a High-Performance Centre was made in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik at the Lok Seva Bhawan here on Friday.
The centre will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 30 crore to be funded by the DCBL. The construction of the centre will begin by December this year and completed by December 2020. The Centre will offer world-class training and coaching facility under the direct supervision and guidance of eminent badminton player and coach Pullela Gopichand.
Praising the initiative of PGBF, the Chief Minister said that the High Performance Centre will be one of the international standard training centres of our country. The state government, which has provided three acres for the centre, is also constructing a multi-purpose indoor hall inside Kalinga Stadium campus, which will be ready by February, 2020, where the High Performance Centre can start functioning immediately. “Promotion of sports by industrial houses is a winning combination. My government will always encourage such initiatives for the cause of sports in Odisha,” he added.
Apart from Gopichand and DBCL MD Puneet Dalmia, Chief Secretary Asit Tripathy, Principal Secretary, Sports and Youth Services, Vishal Dev and Director, Sports, R Vineel Krishna were present.
