Bhubaneswar: Orissa city police commissioner Yogesh Bahadur Khurania said Friday that the security will be beefed up for the teams in hotels as well as on the ground and in and around the vicinity of the Kalinga Stadium.
“The Asian Athletics Chmapionships (AAC2017) is a prestige issue for the city as well as Orissa. It is indeed a huge event. So we are leaving no stone unturned to make it a huge success,” Khurania told reporters at the Kalinga Stadium here Friday. “Also appropriate steps are being taken for the smooth flow of traffic on all days of AAC2017,” he added.
Meanwhile, state sports minister Chandra Sarathi Behera said that it was an honour for Orissa to host such a prestigious event. “It is an honour for the city as well as for the state to be part of this mega event. We are giving our level best to see that AAC2017 is a huge success. All the participating teams and other dignitaries attending the meet are guests of Orissa. We will definitely make their stay a pleasant one,” said Behera.
Meanwhile, secretary of sports and youth affairs department, Vishal Dev pointed out that the 90-day challenge to host the event has been met successfully. “It was really challenging to get things done. We had only three months to renovate the venue as well as the other arrangements for the meet. We have laid a state-of the-art synthetic track for the meet and also a practice track for the athletes. It was not easy but we took up the challenge and we have met with successfully,” Dev pointed out
“Five thousand new chairs have been laid in the stadium, 41 rooms and 44 toilets inside the Kalinga Stadium premises have been renovated. Painting of the 15.5 lakh square-feet area in the stadium has also been completed within the time frame,” he added.
CM unveils AAC2107 website
Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik unveiled the official website on the 22nd Asian Athletics Championships (AAC2017) here Friday. The site www.odisha2017.games will provide information and updates about the premier sports event. Patnaik said, “The state government took up 90 days challenge for hosting the premier International Championship event in Bhubaneswar. I am delighted we have been able to accomplish it in record time. This event has already created a buzz on social media, generating huge global interest in the event as well as in the host state of Orissa.
Cash incentives
KIIT and KISS have announced cash incentives for any Orissa athlete winning a medal in the upcoming 22nd Asian Athletics Championship at the Kalinga Stadium here, July 6-9. The gold, silver and bronze medal winners will be rewarded with cash incentives of Rs 3,00,000, Rs 2,00,000 lakhs and Rs 1,00,000 lakh respectively. “This financial incentive for the successful Oriya athletes is part of the continuous endeavour of KIIT and KISS to encourage sportspersons and promote sports in Orissa,” KIIT and KISS founder Achyuta Samanta informed Tuesday. He also wished them luck for the upcoming competition.
Team Oman arrive
A 10-member Oman team arrived in the city Friday for the mega meet. The athletes are all sprinters. The team comprise of two athletes each in the 100m, 200m and 400m while there are four who will run the 4x100m relay.
Rain plays spoilsport
Due to incessant rain Friday, the trials to verify the fitness of seven Indian athletes were postponed. Among those scheduled to appear for the trials are top players like Vikas Gowda and Seema Poonia. The Athletics Federation of India are conducting the trials as most of these athletes train abroad and hence cannot be monitored by the body. The trials will now take place Saturday, provided rain doesn’t play spoilsport again.
Doubts remain
Conflicting versions continued to flow about the participation of the Pakistan team in AAC2017. AFI secretary CK Valson stated that the visas of the Pakistani contingent have been cleared by the ministry of home affairs. However, local organisers stated Friday that they do not have the travel plans of the Pakistan team. “There are still four days left, so let us wait and see,” stated a member of the local organizing committee.
Review meeting
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik reviewed Friday the planning and arrangements of the state government for the 22nd Asian Athletics Championship commencing July 5. He asked the officials to ensure proper service and security for athletes participating in the event and smooth traffic management during this period. The CMO informed that several initiatives have been undertaken to make the event a success. Among them are help desks at the airports in Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kolkata.
