Bhubaneswar: Taking its partnership for sporting excellence a step further, Odisha on Saturday entered into an agreement with Arcelor Mittal Nippon Steel India to set up High Performance Centre (HPC) in gymnastics in Bhubaneswar.
The centre is aimed to promote and develop the sport of gymnastics in the state. As part of this agreement, academies will also be set up in Puri, Jeypore and Rourkela, an official statement said.
The MoU was signed between the state government and AM/NS India in Kyoto during Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik’s visit to Japan.
As per the provisions of the MoU, the Odisha government will create and maintain the infrastructure for the HPC and academies while AM/NS India will operate and manage these centres and train gymnasts, in particular women gymnasts, and provide coaching development and certification, and judge certification.
Odisha’s Sports and Youth Affairs secretary Vineel Krishna and Deputy Director HR & Admin AM/NS India Keiji Kubota signed the Memorandum of Understanding in the presence of the chief minister.
“The Government of Odisha is dedicated to the development of sports in the state. Gymnastics as an Olympic sport is evolving and has always had mass appeal. Odisha has a pool of talent who under expert guidance and a holistic support system can be nurtured to become international gymnasts over the next five years,” Patnaik said while expressing happiness over the MoU.
He said the partnership will go a long way in creating a vibrant gymnastics ecosystem in the country and help us identify and develop young talent for the future.
Odisha’s earlier collaboration with AM/NS India during the Ultimate Kho Kho League proved very fruitful with team Odisha Juggernauts emerging champions. The company’s efforts in promoting hockey were also commendable. The government recognises the importance of public-private partnerships in encouraging sports development, the CM said.
“We value AM/NS India’s continued support in this endeavour with Odisha state emerging as a hub for promoting sports culture in India”, he said.
The Odisha AM/NS Gymnastics High Performance Centre will be a facility housed in the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar for senior athletes participating in the ‘Elite Senior Gymnastics Programme’. While the three ‘Odisha AM/NS Gymnastics Academies will be located in Puri, Jeypore, and Rourkela for grassroots level athletes, an official said.
The HPC and academies will focus on creating a robust scouting framework, develop talent from Odisha to compete at National and International levels with competent coaching teams, quality equipment and sports science support.
It will develop a gymnastics ecosystem with long term sustenance, with coach development and certification, judge certification and with a special focus on female gymnasts. The athletes will receive international and national exposure in addition to academic support. The programme will help develop the sport in India and build a strong foundation of skilled coaches, trainers, and support staff, the official said.
Odisha has already set up Gymnastics Centre in Puri and Bhubaneswar and an additional centre in Rourkela will be operational soon. Gymnasts who have represented Odisha at national and international level have commenced their training at these centres.
Odisha is the only state to set up a bouquet of high performance centres in India and since 2019, HPCs in swimming, shooting, weightlifting, football, hockey, sports science and athletics are operational and have produced national and international players.
PTI
