Odisha Open To Be An Annual Event

Cuttack: The Odisha government plans to make Odisha Open 2022, the first Badminton World Federation (BWF) event hosted by the state which concluded here on Sunday, an annual event.

“Odisha Open 2022 has encouraged and inspired us. It will be an annual event and next year we hope to host it on a larger scale,” said R Vineel Krishna, Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Sports and Youth Services Department, Odisha.

“It’s heartening to see the way the Odisha government stepped in to stage the tournament, that too at a time when COVID challenges have been at its peak. I am confident in the coming time more badminton events can be staged here,” said Ajay K Singhania, General Secretary, Badminton Association of India (BAI).

Puneet Dalmia, Managing Director, Dalmia Bharat, the sponsors, said, “Evidently, the event has set new benchmarks not just in the arena of badminton, but within the entire sports fraternity across India. Regionally, the tournament has woven itself into Odisha’s cultural ethos and we now look forward to taking it to greater heights in its next edition.”