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In a major boost to Indian athletics and swimming, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, on Saturday inaugurated India's first Indoor Athletics Centre and Indoor Aquatic Centre at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. He also laid the foundation stone for the Indoor Diving Centre.
The Indoor Athletics Centre stands as India's first capable of hosting indoor continental and regional championships. This world-class facility will be a training ground for the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre, which was established in association with Reliance Foundation, and has been producing young athletics champions. The centre boasts a 10,000-square-meter track, installed by the renowned Italian firm, Mondo SpA, used in the Olympics, marking a pioneering feat within the country. The centre includes a 200-meter synthetic track, an 80m+20m running track, and designated areas for long jump, triple jump, pole vault, and shot-put, each meticulously designed to meet specific athletic requirements. Accommodating the needs of high-performance athletes, the facility features 60 twin-sharing rooms for those undergoing full-time coaching. Its iconic stature was solidified with the esteemed Category 1 certification from World Athletics in December 2023. Speaking on this occasion, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, said, "The new indoor facilities will provide our athletes to train and compete, round the year, without any external weather disturbances. We are confident that both Indoor Athletics Centre and the Aquatic Centre will certainly help set new standards for sporting excellence on both international and national stages. It also marks an important step further strengthening Odisha's robust sports ecosystem and our partnership with Reliance Foundation, JSW & Inspire Institute of Sports." Chairman 5T & Nabin Odisha, Kartik Pandian was present during the event and interacted with the athletes and swimmers. The President of the Athletic Federation of India, Adille Sumariwala, Secretary of the Swimming Federation of India Monal Choksi, Veteran Sports Administrator Ashirbad Behera, representatives from the State associations and sports persons were present on this occasion. Sports and Youth Services Minister, Tusharkanti Behera, Secretary, Sports and Youth Services Department, Vineel Krishna, Sridhar Patra, CMD Nalco, Aasish Contractor, Director Reliance Foundation, Mustafa Ghouse, CEO JSW Sports and other dignitaries were part of the ceremony. (ANI)
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