Naveen Patnaik Announces Rs 10 Lakh Each To 13 Asian Games Qualified Odisha Athletes

Bhubaneswar: Ahead of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in China, Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday announced a financial support for the state’s athletes, who are set to participate in the quadrennial sporting extravaganza scheduled to be held from September 23 to October 8.

Each Asian Games-bound athlete will receive Rs 10 lakhs each, to support their training, preparation, and participation, a CMO release said.

The CM expressed hope that the athletes will showcase their talent at the Games and this incentive will help them to focus solely on their training and performance.

Notably, 13 athletes from Odisha have qualified for the multi-sport event that features the best athletes from all across the Asian continent. They are Kishore Jena in Athletics; Anshika Bharati, Ritu Kaudi and Sonali swain in Rowing; Anupama Swain in Ju-Jitsu; Neha Devi Leichondam in Kayaking & Canoeing; Pyari Xaxa in Football; Deep Grace Ekka and Amit Rohidas in Hockey and Dumuni Marndi, Tarulata Naik, Mama Naik, and Hupi Majhi, four Odisha Rugby Football Association (ORFA) players, who have been named in the Indian squad.

The 19th Asian Games was initially slated to be held in September 2022. However, it was postponed to the following year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 634 Indian athletes will be taking part in Hangzhou 2022.