Badminton High Performance Centre coming up in Bhubaneswar

A state-of-the-art badminton high-performance centre (HPC), under the technical and coaching supervision of Pullela Gopichand, will be operational soon at the Kalinga stadium complex.

The construction of the Dalmia Bharat Gopichand Odisha Badminton Academy in Bhubaneswar is going on in full swing and will be completed in September. It will be operational soon thereafter, the Sports Department said on Monday. The Odisha government has provided three acres of land, where Dalmia Bharat Group is building the infrastructure at a cost of Rs 55 crore, and former chief national coach Gopichand will bring in the expertise, according to a release.

The HPC will offer world-class training and coaching facilities under the direct supervision and guidance of Gopichand, who has played a key role in the rise of Indian badminton. The 500-seater academy will be equipped with eight badminton courts and will have advanced sports amenities. The facility will host national and international badminton tournaments.

It will have a gymnasium, boarding and lodging facilities for players, coaches and support staff, a sports science room and a health club. The building is placed on a glass cylinder, giving it a floating-cork (of shuttlecock) effect. Special illumination lights will be projected from the rooftop to give it a shuttlecock effect at night.

The aerodynamic circular shape will help wind to flow away and reduce the maximum wind pressure from the façade. Odisha had signed a partnership with Dalmia Bharat and the Pullela Gopichand Badminton Foundation in 2018 to set up a world-class badminton academy in the state. The foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in February 2019.