Odisha opens 5 sports infra, lays foundation for 89 indoor halls

BHUBANESWAR: Odisha is pushing for greater sports infrastructure to up their game. Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik inaugurated five sports facilities and laid the foundation stone of 89 multi-purpose indoor halls across Odisha on Thursday, December 16. The new projects will include the Biju Patnaik Weightlifting Hall, a hostel at the Kalinga Stadium, a swimming pool in Angul and Baripada, and an indoor stadium placed in Rourkela. 

In a recent interview, Tusharkanti Behera, Minister of Sports, Government of Odisha elaborated on the state’s ambitions of making a significant contribution to future Olympic events. At the inauguration event, CM Patnaik stated that the state is developing landmark sports infrastructure, which will make it the leading destination for various sports events. 

An official informed that the location for the construction work has been identified and work is expected to start shortly in over 50 locations. He added that the indoor stadium will be operational in 2022-23. 

The indoor stadiums will be fully equipped with weightlifting, badminton, and table tennis equipment. They could also be used as community shelter homes and hospitals during disasters or as quarantine centers during a pandemic-like situation. The state’s current sports infrastructure promises the budding athletes, a team of experts with sports science facilities.