Odisha: A beacon of sporting hope for India

A few decades ago, Odisha was not part of the states that were the frontrunners in spheres of tourism and sports, among other things. However, the scenery has changed dramatically.

Odisha is currently chartering new paths. They have made massive investments in hosting marquee events in a bid to become a sporting powerhouse. The plan is to announce itself as a leading global venue for sports, tourism and other events.

Over the last five years, Odisha has transformed into a 'sports capital' state. In 2018, they became the first state to commit ₹150 crore for the sponsorship of the national hockey team (over a period of five years - 2018 to 2023).

With other government sponsors losing faith in the hockey teams, Odisha's support helped device hockey in the country. They organized the Men's Hockey World Cup in 2018.

The statement event helped Indian hockey improve over the next few years. The result was there for everyone to see when they bought back an Olympic medal in 2021 after a gap of 41 years. The success has seen the sponsorship extend to 2033.

Hockey is deeply rooted in Odisha's culture, with the sport being played in rural and tribal pockets of the state as well. The state's Sundargarh district has produced many notable players like Dilip Tirkey, Pramod Tirkey, Lazarus Tirkey, Jyoti Sunita Kullu, Sunita Lakra, Amit Rohidas, Birendra Lakra, Deep Grace Ekka, and Namita Toppo. Lakra was a member of the Indian team that won bronze at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was the goalkeeper for his school team. Sports has been an integral part of his life and he has now reflected his passion on the state's desire to grow with the vision -

“Sports for youth, Youth for future.”

Odisha’s efforts are directed towards creating a holistic ecosystem that benefits sports and its athletes. Over the past five years, the state has rolled out myriad welfare schemes that support athletes from grassroots to elite levels, including financial assistance for training, participation, and jobs for meritorious sportspeople.

Odisha’s investment in sports has been far reaching, starting with the strengthening of the grassroots sports ecosystem, which is the fountain head of sports talent.

The government has invested significantly in developing and upgrading sports infrastructure right from Gram Panchayat to the state level, thus creating an all-inclusive and accessible sports ecosystem.

Odisha is further strengthening its position nationally by portraying the sport as its ‘soft power’ and becoming the most preferred destination for hosting big sporting events.

The state has organised some of the top international tournaments ranging from the Asian Athletics Championship through the Asian Rugby Championship to FIH Tokyo qualifiers. The sustained effort has projected the state as the prime destination for sports.

The Kalinga Hockey Stadium is one of the finest hockey stadiums in the world at the moment, and the fanfare enjoyed by hockey teams in Odisha is unparalleled. It therefore made sense to leverage the existing hockey ecosystem in Odisha’s working relationship with Hockey India and bring the next edition of the Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023 to Odisha.

The Hockey Men’s World Cup 2023, apart from Bhubaneswar, will also take place in the Sundergarh district. To host the same, the Birsa Munda International Hockey Stadium in Rourkela is being developed at an estimated cost of ₹112 crore.

The state-of-the-art structure with 20,000 seating capacity is inspired from the ancient Colosseum to offer an unparalleled sporting experience for spectators and players alike and will be bigger than the Kalinga stadium.

The stadium, along with the allied facilities, will be a benchmark for other hockey stadiums around the world. A practice pitch will be developed alongside the main stadium.

The athletes’ accommodation is also being planned homogeneously within the campus. The campus will be developed as a one-point destination for event-related activities, including a Fan Park. The work is going on in full swing and is expected to be completed by June-July 2022.

For table tennis and badminton in particular, the state boasts of the Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium in Cuttack, which not only trains shuttlers and paddlers but has also hosted some of the finest sporting events, including the Commonwealth Table Tennis Championships in 2019.

The state has fine multipurpose halls and indoor stadiums and 89 more are coming up at a cost of approximately ₹700 crores, which has been recently approved by the state cabinet.

At the regional level, integrated sports complexes are being developed with facilities for both indoor and outdoor games such as badminton, table tennis, cricket, basketball, tennis, etc.

Apart from hockey, Odisha is also currently sponsoring the national U15 and U19 football teams as part of its partnership with the AIFF. Odisha also supports Odisha FC in the ISL. Odisha also signed an MoU with Rugby India in 2020 to sponsor the Indian national rugby team for the next three years and facilitate high-performance training and conditioning of the players.

To offer a further boost, the state government has hiked its sports budget to ₹602 crore in its annual budget of 2022-23. Apart from ₹411 crore for infrastructure development, ₹115 crore will be provided for the promotion of sports education and ₹11 crore for the state’s support to Khelo India. The remaining amount will be for other administrative expenditures.

It's no surprise that the "Odisha Sports Model" is now being replicated by other states. Uttar Pradesh recently announced the adoption of wrestling and badminton.

Odisha, hosting athletic and sporting events, not only introduces locals to renowned international athletes but also showcases the state’s landmarks to the world.

Sports has not only given a new identity to the state, but has also spread a positive vibe around the world about the land of ‘Utkala’ (the land which excels in art and craft).