Bhubaneswar: The Odisha Naval Tata Hockey High Performance Centre (HPC) commenced its boys’ resident programme at Kalinga Hockey Complex here on Friday.
Set-up in state capital to groom upcoming sporting talent in hockey and produce world-class sportspersons, the vertical will help in tapping raw talent in the sport in Odisha.
Sports and Youth Services Minister Tusharkanti Behera inaugurated it at Kalinga Stadium.
A total of 31 cadets have been selected for the programme. The players Under the age of 17 have been chosen from the two-week long selection camp that was held from 17 November last year here. The camp was attended by 100 cadets.
Of the 31 players, 21 are from Odisha, seven from Manipur, two from Uttar Pradesh and one from Assam. The Hockey HPC has also created a standby list of 8 players (5 from Odisha).
Speaking on the occasion, Sports Minister said, “This is an elite opportunity and platform for the cadets to excel in Hockey and you should feel extremely proud. This is the first step towards achieving your sporting dreams. HPC will play a crucial role while experienced and expert coaches will groom you into future national and international players.”
The inauguration was also attended by Vishal Kumar Dev, Principal Secretary, Sports & Youth Services and Tourism; Former captain of Hockey India Dillip Tirkey; Chanakya Chaudhary, vice-president Corporate Services, Tata Steel and Chairman, Hockey Ace Foundation and Goutam Mukherjee, CEO, HAF.
On the occasion, two grassroots centres, in Dhenkanal and Deogarh, were also launched. With this the total number of grassroots centres in Odisha has gone up to 12 with 25 coaches, including a lady coach recruited to promote women coaches at the grassroots as well.
Chanakya Chaudhary, VP Corporate Services, Tata Steel, said “Tata Steel has always been committed to encouraging a culture of sports in the country. The youth of Odisha have abundant sporting talent and it is our endeavour to provide the best-in-class sporting facilities and training centres to hone their skills. Odisha Naval Tata Hockey HPC is also an institution where we nurture young talent and shape their careers.”
