Parliamentary Standing Committee Praises Odisha CM For Promoting Hockey

Artist Sudarsan Pattnaik pays tribute to national hockey teams and Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik with his sand art on Puri beach on Friday

New Delhi: India’s brilliant performance in hockey at the Tokyo Olympics has brought laurels for Odisha and its Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

Odisha is the official sponsor of men and women hockey teams and the state’s trust has helped transform the performance of players. Men’s team ha brought home a bronze, ending the 41-year medal drought in the game while the women’s team gave a stirring fight to the Rio Games gold medal winners for the third position but got defeated.

The support and trust shown by the Odisha Government had found a prominent mention in the Parliamentary Standing Committee report on the country’s preparation for Tokyo Olympics.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Education, Women, Children, Sports and Youth Affairs has appreciated the efforts of Odisha Chief Minister in transforming the performance of India men’s and women’s Hockey teams.

In the second page of its press release, the Parliamentary Committee,  which is headed by BJP MP Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe, states that “The Committee in its collective wisdom has appreciated the efforts taken by Shri. Naveen Patnaik, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Odisha in setting up the High Performance Sports Centres and sponsoring both men’s and women’s Hockey teams through Hockey India since 2018, which has translated into better performance for both these teams at Tokyo Olympics 2021.”

“It is indeed a matter of great pride for Odisha that when the state and its dynamic leader Hon’ble CM Shri. Naveen Patnaik is being hailed for his efforts and contributions to Indian Hockey. This Parliamentary Standing Committee is the statutory Parliamentary Committee on the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs and therefore its views carry enormous weight and its recommendations and views on Hon’ble CM Shri. Naveen Patnaik are now a part of the records in Indian Parliamentary for all times to come,” the release added.