Bhubaneswar: Sports is vital for overall physical and mental well-being of a person and everyone should be encouraged to engage in regular sporting activity, said commissioner-cum-secretary, Sports and Youth Services, Bhupendra Singh Poonia, here on Thursday.
Speaking at an event organised by the Odisha Sports Journalists’ Association (OSJA) to celebrate World Sports Journalists Day as well as the golden jubilee year of the Sports Journalists Federation of India (SJFI) at Kalinga Stadium, Poonia noted that sports helps in building physical and mental endurance, hence youngsters in particular should take up some sports or the other.
Lauding the contribution of sports journalists in promoting sports and sportspersons, he said they should not limit their coverage to the successes achieved by sportspersons but also work towards creating a culture for sports in the state.
Participating in a discussion on the ‘State of football in Odisha’, former Indian women’s captain Shradhanjali Samantray said Odisha has a good pool of talented women footballers and more players from the state should make it to the national team in the near
future.
Sharing experiences of her playing days and how journalists always supported her journey, she said: “The infrastructure, resources and opportunities back then were limited. Now there is no such problem.”
Echoing similar sentiments, renowned football coach Suvendu Panda said no player can complain of dearth of resources because the state government is now investing a lot in sports including football. “Odisha’s football ecosystem is fine but to get better results, we need to work harder,” he opined.
International footballer Pyari Xaxa appreciated the role of sports journalists in her career. “I was simply Pyari Xaxa from a remote village in Sundargarh district. You (the sports journalists) have given me an identity and recognition.”
OSJA president Sandeep Mishra threw light on Odisha’s achievements in football and stressed the need for better documentation of the contributions of the state’s football legends like Abdul Majid, Golak Samal, Bharati Mishra, Debendra Prasad Singh, Rajendra Prasad Singh, Shradhanjali Samantray and Sasmita Mallick so that youngsters can learn about them and get inspired.
OSJA working president Samikhya Patnaik accentuated the need for the state government to extend full cooperation to sports journalists to enable them to play a bigger role in the growth and development of sports in Odisha.
The annual souvenir of OSJA was unveiled on the occasion. Senior journalist and founding member of OSJA Susanta Mohanty was also felicitated.
Bhubaneswar-based Shree Dasavatara Natyashala dance troupe, led by Mamata Satpathy, staged two dance performances (Odissi and folk).
OSJA treasurer Suresh Kumar Swain compered the event while the association’s general secretary Tapan Kumar Swain proposed the vote of thanks.