Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik inaugurated the Regional Badminton Academy and laid the foundation stone for hostel at Saheed Nagar here Monday. Legendary badminton coach Pullela Gopichand was also present during the occasion.
The Academy aims to nurture and train badminton sporting talents from Orissa, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Assam, all other North-Eastern states as well as Andaman and Nicobar Islands to compete at national and international levels. Speaking on the occasion Patnaik thanked Sports Authority of India (SAI) for the initiative. “Oriya players have shown their competence at various national and international levels in several sports. Now I am sure that we can create global standard players in badminton from our local talent pools,” he said.
“I take the opportunity to thank Gopichand for his role as a mentor for the budding academy and look forward to his continued support in guiding the Regional Badminton Academy in achieving excellence. I am sure that under his mentorship, we will have World Champions in badminton from Orissa,” he concluded.
The academy will function in collaboration with SAI and Department of Sports and Youth Affairs, Govt of Orissa. Twenty four residential inmates have been selected from all over the eastern region including Orissa through open advertisement and rigorous selection process. Hostel and gymnasium with an estimate of Rs 1.37 for the inmates is currently under construction.
Gopichand will act as the mentor for the budding academy and support in guiding the youngsters in achieving excellence. SAI will provide technical support in shape of coaches, support staff and equipment.
PNN