Odisha To Sign MoUs To Promote Sports & Sportspersons

Bhubaneswar: To contribute to the development of sport in Odisha and support talented sportspersons, the state government and leading industrialists will be signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on November 12 at Kalinga Hockey Stadium here.

At a special programme named ‘Odisha Sports: Creating Partnerships for Excellence’, these leading industrialists will come forward to help promote the sports culture within the state by signing MoUs for sponsoring one sporting discipline each, official sources said.

The event that is scheduled to begin with high-tea will see several dignitaries signing the MoU and talking about the sport they will be sponsoring. The MoU will express their intention to cooperate within the scope of their mandates and sphere of competences to work towards building a better sporting culture.

This move will enable the state to encourage and nurture talent in the field of sports from every single part of India. Every sport will have the necessary infrastructure and support services needed by an individual in order to realize their potential. They will now have a fair chance at training that will match international standards, the sources added.

The following sports are being sponsored by various industries’ foundation  – Athletics by Reliance Industries Group; Football and Swimming by JSW Group; Badminton by Dalmia Bharat Group; Weightlifting by Ahluwalia Group; Shooting by Aditya Birla Group; and Hockey by Tata Group.

Commenting on the signing of the MoU, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “The MoU attaches great importance to the collaboration with these industrialists giving us yet another major support in the effort to promote the cause of sporting culture. We can now substantially expand the prospects of developing these sporting disciplines together and creating a hub that is unparalleled worldwide.”

Talking about this move, Sports and Youth Services Minister Chandra Sarathi Behera said, “We are extremely appreciative of this association. These sporting disciplines were shortlisted as per their performance and the number of youth interested in taking up these sports. With this association, we will now be able to promote and protect the core values of sports for the youth at a global level.”

On the occasion, the Chief Minister and FIH President will also unveil the World Cup Trophy ahead of the Odisha Hockey Men’s World Cup Bhubaneshwar 2018.