Rs 12.02 crore to be spent on development of Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar under Khelo India program: Sports Minister Kiran Rizju

 Rs 12.02 crore to be spent on development of Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar under Khelo India program: Sports Minister Kiran Rizju

The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will be upgraded to the Khelo India program.  Kalinga Stadium is one of the eight Khelo India State Excellence Centers to be developed in the first phase of the country.  In the first phase, eight such centers, including the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, have been selected.  In addition, one such center will be developed in Mizoram, Telangana, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala.  Khelo India is a major program of the Sports Authority of India and through it the talent identification and development program system is being implemented.  The development of the Kalinga Stadium will cost Rs 12.02 crore and will be completed within four years, Union Sports Minister Kiran Rizju said.

 The development of the stadium will include infrastructure development, the establishment of a sports science center, the appointment of excellent coaches, sports science human resources or physiotherapists, and capacity and system experts.  The development plan will provide high-quality equipment to athletes and efforts will be made to ensure the best in the field of sports science and performance management through hyperperformance managers at the academy, he said.

 The Union Ministry of Sports, in cooperation with the provinces, is implementing the development of sports infrastructure in various states and union territories on a partnership basis.  Khelo India State Excellence Centers are being set up for this purpose.  Overall, the plan aims to build a strong and well-organized sports infrastructure across the country.  Olympic sports will be promoted at every sports center.  Each state excellence center has a provision to promote a maximum of 3 types of such games.  The Center aims to provide training and other incentives for 14 Olympic Games across the country.

 The Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, Mr. Rizju, said the move was aimed at laying a solid foundation in the country.  Its goal is to create an athlete, such as winning an Olympic medal.  All of these centers will provide state-of-the-art facilities for athletes to practice and provide world-class facilities for athletes to practice.  He said the initiative was aimed at keeping India among the top 10 countries in the list of medals at the 2028 Olympic Games.