Bhubaneswar: Taking a giant stride towards building the future of athletics in Odisha, the State Government on Thursday signed an Expression of Intent (EOI) with the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and Athletics Federation of India (AFI) for establishment of a high-performance academy here.
The EOI was signed by Sports Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev and AFI president Adille Sumariwala and IAAF president Lord Sebastian Coe in the presence of Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
To be set up at Kalinga Stadium and called Odisha-AFI-IAAF High Performance Academy, the centre will provide coaching, integrated support services and education to athletes. It will help create an environment in which junior potential elite athletes can excel with the academy, official sources said.
State Sports and Youth Services Department will provide funds and necessary infrastructure and support services, including an outdoor stadium, a strength training gym, physiotherapy and hostel facilities.
The IAAF will assist in educating elite coaches and provide specialists while AFI will manage the academy and select head of the academy, Indian coaches, teachers and other staff, the sources added.
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