Bhubaneswar: The Orissa government is planning set up a ‘Sports City’ in the state capital, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik informed during the Biju Patnaik Award ceremony at the Soochana Bhawan here, Tuesday.
“We are planning to set up a ‘Sports City’ in Bhubaneswar with world-class facilities,” he said while addressing the gathering. “Besides, integrated sports complexes will also be established in Cuttack, Berhampur, Sambalpur, Rourkela and Jeypore with an initial outlay of Rs 96 crore under SWARNA scheme. “An additional funding of Rs 15 lakh wach will be provided to 150 block level, mini-stadiums to develop them as ‘Krida Vikas Kendras’,” he added.
On the occasion of the National Sports Day, some former and present sportspersons were conferred with Biju Patnaik Sports Award for 2016. All the awardees were presented a ‘Scroll of honour’, a statutte and cash rewards each.
Sprint queen and Olympian Dutee Chand, the bronze medallist at the Asian Athletics Championships, won the award for ‘Outstanding Performance in Sports & Games’. Sanhita Das won the award for ‘Excellence in coaching’. Das is currently working as a kabaddi and kho-kho coach at the Sports Hostel in Bhubaneswar.
Hari Patnaik who is the founder of Utkal Karate School, bagged the award for ‘Best Contribution to Promotion of Sports and Games’. The UKS has so far created 17 international medallists in karate, powerlifting, weightlifting, bodybuilding, arm wrestling etc.
Patnaik has organised the national weightlifting championships twice, national powerlifting championships four times and the All India Open Karate Championships seven times. He has also published a book on women’s self defence named ‘REACT’ which has been provided to more than five lakh girl students through state department of higher education.
Panchanan Gantayat, a former multi-talented sportsperson, won the ‘Life Time Achievement’ award for his contribution to sports throughout his life. Gantayat is the second athlete from the state to win a gold in 110m hurdles after his coach Nanda Krushna Das who had won gold in 1951, when he bagged the yellow metal in the National Athletics Championships in 1978.
Meanwhile, Ashok Kumar Panda and Rajani Kanta Satrusalya won the ‘Excellence in Sports Journalism Award’.
Sprinter Dutee eyes medals at Commonwealth, Asian Games
Olympian Dutee Chand said Tuesday that she is targetting medals at the 2018 Commonwealth and Asian Games.
“I’m preparing for the Commonwealth and Asian Games next year. If I can continue training in a proper manner with the best of facilities, a medal is possible at both the meets,” Dutee said on the sidelines of the Biju Patnik Award function at the Soochana Bhawan here.
Speaking about the recent honour, the Asian Athletics Championships bronze medallist said, “It is a huge honour for me. After a long hard work through tough periods, we achieve something in our career. And when our efforts are recognised, the feeling is great,” she added.
Meanwhile, Panchanan Gantayat, a former sportsperson and now an athletics coach, who won the Lifetime Achievement award, said that it was a reward for his hard work. “I have participated in various sports disciplines, including athletics, football and volleyball. Then have coached many successful athletes of the state. So quite happy with this award,” said the coach of Olympians Rachita Panda and Anuradha Biswal.
The founder of Utkal Karate School Hari Patnaik who was awarded for his contribution to promotion of sports, said that the state is yet to produce champions on a consistent basis. “We are developing. But in compared to other states, we haven’t done anything great on a consistent basis,” Patnaik said.
“For the better future of every sports discipline in Orissa, we have to provide the athletes from grassroot level athletes with multi-facility training centres in every district. Or else some five to ten countable athletes will come out and perform in the nationals, when they go to international level, they will fade,” he added.
Meanwhile para athlete Jayanti Behera said that the cash award of Rs 12,00,000 will be big boost for her training. “This amount will help me train for the Asian Youth Games (in December). Right now I’m training in Sakhigopal under my coach Bishnu Prasad Mishra and will visit Shimla for better training soon,” informed Jayanti.
List of cash awards to outstanding sportspersons:
Sportspersons Discipline Amount
Pramod Bhagat Para-badminton Rs 13,50,000
Jayanti Behera Para-athletics Rs 12,00,000
Rajesh Meher Athletics (Special Olympics) Rs 8,00,000
Dipsan Tirkey Hockey Rs 8,00,000
Md Jafar Iqbal Blind Cricket Rs 5,00,000
Sukhram Majhi Blind Cricket Rs 5,00,000
G Narahari Crossing English Channel in relay format Rs 3,00,000
Sarita Routray Beach Volleyball (Special Olympics) Rs 2,50,000
Bonita Lakra Athletics (World Police & Fire Games) Rs 1,00,000
Bignaraj Miridia Athletics (World Police & Fire Games) Rs 1,00,000
post news network
